MegaGirl Starforce 3
by jess0412
Summary: Kidnapped by Saggitarius and unable to pulse out, Layla must find out the truth: who is really good or evil? Meanwhile, Whitney, Eric and Lee must figure out why Drago is so desperate for immortality that he must steal Delilah's body! MMSF, R&R please!
1. Prologue

Hello, it's me again! I've noticed that a lot of you love MGSF, but the first two stories pale in comparison to the (possible) conclusion. You'll notice that some chapters have references, telling you which chapter in the first two stories you should look at, to see what this is talking about. It's a new "feature". Hope you enjoy this fanfiction as much as I do!

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Saggitarius stops sniffing and begins running again.

"Will this guy never stop?" Layla Woods says, "Omega-Xis, I'll try to change out of MegaGirl!"

"Got it," Omega-Xis says.

Layla tries to pulse out, but to no avail.

"Wha?" Layla gasps.

"Must be some power that he has," Omega-Xis says, "and it's preventing us from changing back."

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_Let me back in!_

Delilah Crown desperately tries to return into her body.

"Shut up, selfish child," Drago hisses in Delilah's voice, "This body is mine now! Leave me alone!"

_It was my body first, you...you...you stupid jerk!_

"I won't return it until Saggitarius dies!" Drago shouts to the sky.

----------------------------------------

"This is it, Ophiuca-chan!" Lee Furukoni says, "I think Crown Lily's in danger!"

_Then you'll get her out of it, I assume, Lee-sama?_

"Of course," Lee says, "I'm to be her right hand woman when she rules FM*. I can't merely stand by and let her die."

_Then by all means, Lee-sama, prove your worthiness to Crown Lily!_

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"He's getting away!" Eric Roswell shouts, noticing Saggitarius leaving with MegaGirl slung over his shoulder.

_Grr...this isn't good. Saggitarius is taking MegaGirl somewhere, and I don't think it's pleasant._

"Neither do I, Wolf," Eric says.

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"Here we are," Michael says, "A safe haven. Not even Cygnus can find you...not until someone lets out the location."

Thalia walks in the abandoned apartment building, mildly curious and terribly worried.

_Layla and Omega-Xis are both quite tough, Thalia._

Thalia nods slightly, to give Gemini the hint that she wasn't ready to speak to him in front of Michael...yet.

"I'm staying here, too," Michael says, "We'll be near a lot of public places, yet far enough away from the 'public eye', if you get what I mean."

"Yeah," Thalia says.

Michael notices the faltering in his "sister's" voice and says, "Thal. We can't merely rush into things. We'll need everyone's help to get Layla back."

"I know," Thalia says, "I'm just...I'm just praying that Saggitarius doesn't kill her."

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"Ergh!" Aries says, leaving the large room, "Tell me if Saggitarius does something typical, like eat someone."

"Well, then," Taurus says, "show me Ophiuca, globe."

The globe in the middle of the room changes its image, showing Ophiuca Avenger on the EM Wave Road heading for Earth.

Aries turns to look at the image.

"Aries," Taurus says, "Go to Earth. Quickly."

Aries nods and leaves the room in a rush.

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"Saggitarius is awakened," Cygnus says to himself, "and soon, every human will die...and we will have conquered Earth at last."

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*See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Chapter 9


	2. Chapter 1

"Wolf Moon!" I shout, noticing the newest comrade in our cause.

"MegaGirl!" Wolf shouts, running and trying to catch up to Saggitarius, "I'll try to keep up with you guys!"

"Good to know," Omega-Xis says, "but what if you get tired?"

"The Wave Roads," Wolf replies curtly, "but how'd you two get into this mess? What you do to him?"

"Dunno," Omega-Xis and I reply.

I am a clone of Geo Stelar, and right now, I'm being kidnapped by the EM Wave Primal Saggitarius. For some reason, instead of killing me, he decided to take me somewhere.

Omega-Xis, the alien on my left arm, is my AM-ian partner. He used to be Geo's partner until he died due to Andromeda. We both thought that Andromeda was the worst thing that could happen.

We were wrong.

"Like I said, I'll try to keep up," Wolf says, "I don't think anyone's on my tail, so we can keep talking as long as Saggitarius allows it or until I get tired."

"That's what I'm thinking about," I say, "Do you know if anyone was harmed by Saggitarius?"

"No," Wolf says, "Nobody screamed, there were no ambulances, nothing."

"Guess that's one good thing that's happened," Omega-Xis says, "but why are you concerned about us?"

"Crown Lily's determined to destroy you to gain the throne of the FM-ians," Wolf says, "especially since Aquarius is on your side."

Wolf suddenly stops, his eyes widening.

I feel Saggitarius stop soon after.

"Huh?" I say.

I try to look, but finally turn Omega-Xis to face the front.

"Uh-oh." Omega-Xis says.

"'Uh-oh' what?" I say.

"We're at a cliff," Omega-Xis says, "you better start praying."

"M-Mega!" I hiss, "Any idea how we can escape now?"

"Try getting yourself off this joy ride," Omega-Xis says, "Act like you don't want to be on."

"I tried that!" I say.

"Try it again!" Omega-Xis snaps.

I'm about to obey when I notice a figure coming on the Wave Road.

"D-Delilah?" I murmur.

The figure on the Wave Road looks so much like Delilah, I'd've sworn that she'd been cloned too.

Saggitarius turns his head to the Wave Road...and hisses.

"Drago!" Omega-Xis says, "I think he took over Delilah to get to us!"

"What about Crown?" I say.

"I think he was forced out by Drago," Omega-Xis says.

"What are we going to do?" I moan, "We're being carried by Saggitarius, and chased by Drago."

The figure on the Wave Road laughs and says, "Now, Saggitarius, I shall have my final revenge exacted!"

I feel the momentum of Saggitarius' jump.


	3. Chapter 2

The momentum of the landing nearly causes Layla to lose whatever food she had left.

Saggitarius begins running again, and Layla notices Wolf climbing down the cliff.

"Omega-Xis, you okay?" Layla says, lifting her left hand.

"Course I'm okay!" Omega-Xis says, "No problem. Too bad he didn't loosen his grip at least a little bit..."

"I hope Whitney and Aquarius are okay," Layla says.

"Saggitarius was concerned only about you, I guess," Omega-Xis says, "I guess the least we can do is sleep, huh?"

"I guess," Layla says, noticing how sleepy she feels.

Layla rests her head on Saggitarius' back and closes her eyes.

------------------------------------------

Whitney follows the footprints until she reaches the forest.

"That's where the trail ends," Whitney says in disappointment.

"No," Lyra says, "Keep going."

Lyra is Whitney's FM-ian partner. Whitney was descended from Sonia Skye, and, thus, could fuse with Lyra to become Lyra Melody.

"Okay," Whitney says, following the path ahead.

When she reaches the cliff, she notices two things.

One: an EM wave human is scaling down the cliff.

Two: a figure similar to Crown Lily is chasing Saggitarius.

"Hey!" Whitney calls to the EM wave human, "Need help?"

The figures looks up and says, "Yes, please."

Whitney strumms the guitar strings and manages to make a musical note big enough to carry two people.

She steps on and makes it go to the EM wave human.

"Climb on," Whitney says.

The human places his feet on the musical note, and Whitney causes the note to go up to the Wave Road.

The two jump onto the Wave Road, and the musical note disappears.

"Thank you, Miss..." the wave human says.

"Whitney Makina," Whitney says, then, lifting her guitar slightly, adds, "And Lyra."

"I'm Eric Roswell, also known as Wolf Moon," the boy says, "We need to catch up to Saggitarius."

"Agreed," Lyra says.

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"Earth!" Lee says, "Ophiuca, we made it!"

_Yes, but we're near where Aquarius is located!_

"Shoot," Lee says, "Great."

Aquarius looks to see the pair, and immediately rises to the occasion by throwing a round object.

"A bomb!" Lee screeches.


	4. Chapter 3

_Saggitarius...you will die soon._

I find the Crown girl's body working perfectly in this situation, chasing after my long-time foe.

_After I rip his physical head off of that human body, he'll be done for...since he has had time to adjust to his new body, he can't turn into an FM-ian anymore...nor can he separate the two bodies, as the human one would turn into dust without him supplying life..._

"Hey!" a voice calls.

I look behind me.

Two figures, one wolf-like and the other one similar to a rock guitarist of the 190x times, are chasing me.

"So you must be Lyra and Wolf!" I reply coolly, "Well, this is not your fight, young ones. Saggitarius is mine!"

"We won't let you harm anyone, Miss Crown!" Wolf's human calls.

"Wait, you know this woman?" Lyra's human asks.

"Yes, I'm her gardener," Wolf's human says, "but that's not the point! Miss Crown, stop right now!"

_I nearly forgot that there were others._

I stop and say, "You want to die, little ones? Fine by me."

The two stop a few steps away from me.

_Once I destroy Saggitarius, I'll rip little Layla's head off, then I'll eat Layla...wait. What am I saying? The first two make sense, but the third..._

"You'll go down first," Lyra says, "Drago, you fiend, you're stealing the body of one who already has an FM-ian!"

"Do I look like I care?" I say, "No! I've always been annoyed with FM-ians who dare try to teach me 'virtues'."

Wolf's human raises his hands in front of him and says, "We'll separate the body from you, Drago."

"Yes," Lyra's human says, "and when we're done, you'll be sorry you messed with Lyra Melody and Wolf Moon!"

I turn to see Saggitarius fading in the distance.

"I've no time for childish games," I snap, "See ya...don't really wanna be ya."

I choose this time to resume the chase, leaving "Lyra Melody" and "Wolf Moon" in the dust.

_Such silly names, too! I think mine will be...Drago Destiny...no...Dragon Lily. Yes, quite a mockery of what Crown Lily thought she was...Crown Lily, my tail._


	5. Chapter 4

Aries begins the journey to Earth, via the EM Wave Road.

_Too bad Taurus couldn't come. I think I need all the help I can get._

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The sun rises as Layla wakes up.

"Huh?" she mumbles.

"Yo. Morning," Omega-Xis says.

Layla blinks and realizes that Saggitarius isn't carrying her.

"Mega, what happened?" Layla asks, rubbing her eyes.

"We still didn't return to normal," Omega-Xis says, "but Saggitarius is right outside."

"Outside?" Layla says, her brow furrowing.

Layla and Omega-Xis are in a cave now, one that hasn't been used for many years.

Layla stands up, her body feeling quite limp from being carried.

"Ergh," Layla grunts.

"You okay?" Omega-Xis asks.

Layla nods and walks outside.

Saggitarius is asleep near the entrance, although Layla doubted that the sleep would last much longer.

"We can escape," Layla whispers, already preparing to run.

Saggitarius opens his eyes.

"Or not," Omega-Xis says.

"Ah..." Layla stutters as Saggitarius stands up.

-------------------------------------------

"I'm tired," Whitney says, kneeling on the Wave Road.

"We're near them," Eric says, "Look."

They're on the only EM Wave Road above a cave, one that has Saggitarius near the entrance.

"But we're too late," Lyra says, "He's awake."

"We'll just try to get Miss Woods," Eric says, "No problem."

--------------------------------------------

When the smoke clears, Lee finds that Aquarius disappeared.

"We don't need to worry about him now," Lee chastises herself, "We need to find Crown Lily."

_Yes, Lee-sama, Crown Lily might be in danger._

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_Give me back my body!_

"Shut up," Drago whispers, "Don't make me kill this body."

_You wouldn't!_

"I would!" Drago hisses, "Now can it."

Delilah's voice silences.

Drago watches as Saggitarius stands up, and the newest EM wave human begins praying that the former first EM wave human kills MegaGirl at long last.

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Aquarius pants as he tries to find a place to hide.

"Father!" a voice calls, "Over here!"

Aquarius turns to find Thalia and Michael near an old building.

"Hurry!" Michael calls.

Aquarius runs to his two creations.

"Father, are you all right?" Thalia asks.

"Yes," Aquarius says, pulling out his globe from his pot.

"Drago," Aquarius says, "I'd be wary if I were you."

Michael and Thalia remain silent, knowing that their creator would find some way to rescue their "sister".


	6. Chapter 5

Saggitarius turns Layla around and pushes her back into the cave.

"What?" Layla asks, "Can you understand us?"

Saggitarius doesn't answer, instead turning Layla to him and giving her a look that seems to say, "Stay."

Saggitarius then cuts a wound on his own arm and offers the blood to Layla.

"Wha? No!" Layla says, "I'm not drinking your blood!"

Saggitarius growls slightly, causing Layla to hurredly drink the blood from Saggitarius' wound.

To Layla's surprise, the blood seems to help her regain her strength.

When she finishes, she wipes the blood on her lips on her sleeve.

"Thank you," Layla says.

Saggitarius says nothing still, but covers the wound with his hand.

"You did that for me?" Layla asks.

"Don't forget me," Omega-Xis says, "It worked for me, too."

Saggitarius takes his hand off the wound, although the wound has healed in the few seconds that he covered it.

-------------------------------------

"Dangit," Drago hisses, "He took her into the cave."

Drago is about to begin walking when something pushes him.

Drago falls onto the ground, face in the dirt.

"What was that?" Drago says, raising his head from the dirt.

"It was us," Lyra's human's voice says.

_Whitney._

"Quit it, Whitney," Drago says.

"Wha?" Whitney's voice says, as Drago stands up and faces the troublesome pair.

"You heard me," Drago says, "'Quit it, Whitney'. As in, 'stop getting in my way'."

"How do you know my name?" Whitney asks.

"Miss Makina," Wolf's human says, "I would think that an ancient FM-ian like him would be able to find information about us."

_Eric._

"Partly right, Eric," Drago says, "but no time for childishness. I shall finish you two off and then destroy Saggitarius and MegaGirl."

"What did Saggitarius do to you, Miss Crown?" Eric demands.

"Not to 'Miss Crown'," Drago says with a smirk, "To me, Drago. Saggitarius and I have been enemies for a long while, ever since the destruction of Planet 40-Incognito. He was disobeying orders, so I had to teach him...too bad he went Primal along the way."

"Then why isn't he destroying Earth?" Whitney hisses, "If what you say is true, why isn't he killing anyone?"

"Don't know, really don't care," Drago says, "but enough with your foolish words. You are wasting my time."

Drago is about to activate an attack when his head begins ringing.

_Give! Back! My! Body!_

"Ergh!" Drago grunts, covering his- _Delilah's_- ears.

_Give me back my body! I know you can hear me, Drago!_

Whitney walks up to Drago, her eyes gleaming with...hatred? Anger?

_Return my body! I won't stand to have you make a mockery of me!_

Whitney now raises the guitar above her head, as Drago kneels.

"Shut...up...Delilah!" Drago growls.

_No! My body is not your experimental vehicle!_

The last thing Drago felt was a horrifying pain at his- Delilah's- head.

--------------------------------------

"Aquarius," Michael says, "may I borrow the globe for a moment?"

Aquarius nods and hands the globe over to the male clone.

Michael leaves the room.

"Father," Thalia says, "I didn't think I would see you again. Where's Layla?"

"Kidnapped," Aquarius says, "Are you all right?"

Thalia nods and says, "Just fine, Father. Libra...Michael showed me this place shortly before you came*."

"What's Libra's wave human name?" Aquarius asks.

"Libra Wisdom," Thalia answers.

"Have you found a name yet?" Aquarius says.

Thalia shakes her head and says, "No, Father, but I've been too busy worrying about you all."

Aquarius smiles and says, "I have a name for you. Thalia is the name of an ancient beauty, one of nine 'Muses'. Thalia was one of comedy, and I...let's just say that I was very happy when I named you. You could be Gemini Muse."

"Gemini Muse," Thalia repeats, then smiles.

"Do you like it?" Aquarius asks.

Thalia nods and says, "I love it, Father. It's kinda like Crown Lily's name...Delilah Crown."

Aquarius nods.

---------------------------------------------------

Lee pulses out in the middle of the sidewalk, faltering from exhaustion.

_Lee-sama! Are you all right?_

"Yes, Ophiuca-chan," Lee whispers, walking to a house and knocking on the door.

The door opens, a woman holding the door open.

"Ma'am," Lee says, "can...can I stay here?"

"Yes," the woman says, "come in."

The woman leads Lee into the house, saying, "I'll make you some hot cocoa, okay?"

"Yes, please," Lee says, "and...no marshmallows, please."

"Will do!" the woman says with a hearty smile.

The woman leaves the room, and Lee lies down on one of the couches.

_Lee-sama...are you sick? Have I been overworking you?_

"Not at all," Lee replies softly, "I'm...I'm just tired...and weak."

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*See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Chapter 37


	7. Chapter 6

"Huh?" Layla stammers, "Your wound! It's healed already!"

"So that's one of his powers," Omega-Xis says in awe.

Saggitarius sniffs the air, then lumbers outside.

"Wait!" Layla cries, following.

Saggitarius stops in front of a group, and when Layla finds out, she nearly gasps.

Whitney and Wolf Moon are standing over a figure similar to Delilah, but in a totally different outfit.

Delilah is unconcious.

"Guys!" Layla says.

Whitney is about to run over to Layla, but Saggitarius steps between the pair.

"Hey!" Whitney says, "I'll knock you out, too!"

Saggitarius growls.

"Wait!" Wolf says, walking up to Saggitarius, "Please. Layla- the girl you have hostage- is our friend. Let her go."

Saggitarius merely shakes his head.

Whitney and Layla stare at Wolf incredulously.

"Can you tell me why not?" Wolf presses.

Again, the answer is merely a shake of the head.

"He can't speak," Layla says.

"One last question," Wolf says, "do you mean Layla any harm?"

Saggitarius immediately shakes his head.

"Whoa," Whitney says.

Wolf looks at Layla as he says, "Layla. I think he's either trying to protect you from Drago, or just spiting Cygnus. I think you're safe with Saggitarius."

"You're crazy!" Whitney says.

"Maybe," Wolf says, "but...Saggitarius? Can you promise me something?"

The beast seems eager to listen.

"Swear to me with your life that Layla is in safe hands," Wolf says, "if she gets harmed by you, I'll hurt you just as bad. If she dies...you will die. Understood?"

Saggitarius nods.

Wolf turns to Whitney and says, "Does that make you feel better?"

"No," Whitney says, "What about her parents? They'd be worried sick about her."

"Layla," Wolf says, "I'm sure Saggitarius wants to tell you something. Stick with him until he wants you to stay away from him. Okay?"

Layla nods.

"What? I don't get an opinion?" Omega-Xis says.

"You're just as involved, Mega," Wolf says, "In fact, I think we're all tied into this, one way or another. It's all a matter of time."

Wolf turns around and says, "Whitney. We're leaving."

"But can't we keep an eye on them?" Whitney asks.

Wolf pauses.

Whitney looks at Saggitarius and says, "Listen. Can you understand me?"

Saggitarius nods.

"Let us- Wolf or me- keep an eye on you two," Whitney says, "We won't enter any of your shelters. We'll keep an eye on you from the Wave Road. We'll know when harm comes to Layla. Okay?"

Saggitarius nods.

Whitney turns to Wolf and says smugly, "How's that?"

"That'll mean that we're worrying our parents," Wolf says.

"We'll let Layla's parents know, and ours, too," Whitney says assuringly, "Let's go for now."

Wolf picks up Delilah's body and says, "Farewell...for now."

The pair jump onto the Wave Road, leaving Layla and Omega-Xis with Saggitarius.

-----------------------------------------

Lee sits up when she hears the microwave beeping.

The woman brings Lee the hot chocolate, sitting next to Lee.

"What's your name, dear?" the woman asks, handing Lee the cup.

"Lee Furukoni, ma'am," Lee replies.

"I'm Michelle Woods," the woman says, "I'm glad to meet you. I have a daughter around your age, Lee."

"You do?" Lee says, sipping her cocoa, "What's her name, pray tell?"

"Layla," Michelle says, "She's a kind girl. You'd probably like her."

_Layla? That's MegaGirl's identity! Is it a coincidence, Lee-sama?_

"If she's as kind as you are, Mrs. Woods, then I'd be happy to meet her," Lee says.


	8. Chapter 7

Saggitarius takes me back into the cave, as I dwell on the promise Wolf made him swear.

_Swear to me with your life that Layla is in safe hands. If she gets harmed by you, I'll hurt you just as bad. If she dies...you will die._

"Mega?" I whisper.

"Yeah?" Omega-Xis replies.

"What do you think Wolf meant when he said that Saggitarius wanted to tell us something?" I ask.

"Dunno," Omega-Xis says, "hopefully it's the reason he's kidnapping us."

We enter the cave.

Saggitarius sits down, and I sit near the beast-like EM wave human.

Well, actually, Saggitarius seemed to lie down like a cat rather than sit down, but whatever works.

After a moment of stillness, I use my right hand- my free hand- to start petting the EM fur on Saggitarius' arm.

"What is it?" I say aloud, "What do you want to tell me?"

Saggitarius begins purring, loudly.

"Oh, wow," Omega-Xis says, "Just when I thought he couldn't get more animal-like."

I ignore the comment, noticing Saggitarius' eyes closing slowly.

A feeling of contentment flashes in my mind, something I couldn't have possibly felt.

My hand freezes.

The feeling evaporates, replaced by a feeling of some confusion.

_What?_

I begin petting him some more, and the feeling of contentment returns.

"You can communicate," I say, "by emotions."

A feeling of affirmation crawls in, the contentment seeming sweeter.

I close my eyes and feel my will to resist the bombarding feelings evaporate.

------------------------------------------

"Huh?" I say.

One moment, I was in the cave with Saggitarius. The next, I'm here, above a huge kingdom.

"Omega-Xis?" I say.

"Here," Omega-Xis says.

I look at my hand and feel a rush of relief.

"I think this is some sort of memory," Omega-Xis says.

"Whose?" I ask.

"Duh, who else?" Omega-Xis says, "Saggitarius."

The memory takes us to a specific location, a nice park-like place.

The only thing wrong is that it's empty.

_Wait...no it's not._

A human is walking in the park, looking at the flowers in the beautiful gardens.

"Hey!" I call.

The human doesn't answer.

"Guess you're right," I say.

"A memory," Omega-Xis says, "This must be 40-Incognito."

"40-what?" I say.

"40-Incognito was the planet where Saggitarius became the first EM wave human...ever," Omega-Xis says, "and also the planet that was ravaged by Saggitarius' Primal Forme."

I swallow hard.

I'm about to say something else when the human says, "Princess Akina-Wokumu...ah. If only I knew what she liked..."

"Princess?" I say, blinking.

"Yup. 40-Incognito," Omega-Xis says.

The human is a male, a handsome human with long brown hair reaching his waist. He wears pants similar to jeans, except they look more comfortable by comparison.

Best of all, he's topless.

"He's cute!" I squeal.

"Ech, don't get me started," Omega-Xis says, "He's just a human, an alien human nonetheless. Stop drooling."

"He's flawless!" I crow, "Will you look at that face? I could say dozens of things about it!"

"Shut up!" Omega-Xis barks, "Stop daydreaming and get with the program!"

I stop talking, but inside...I'm crushing on the guy.

The human sighs and looks up to the sky, saying, "Ah, Princess Akina...if only you would notice little old me."

I notice a flash of green streaming down the Wave Road of the kingdom.

Human and FM-ian meet in a flash of bright light, causing me to nearly fall over...and this is a dream!


	9. Chapter 8

When the light clears, the two have become one.

The boy is now armored, a sword lying on the ground beside him.

The boy sits up, blinking.

"Wha?" he says.

I go closer, surprised that I have freedom to move in this memory.

The boy grins when he notices his new armor, and picks up the sword.

"Wow!" he says, "T-this is awesome! Princess Akina would love to be married to a soldier!"

"Say what?" a voice says, coming from the sword.

"Wah!" the boy says, dropping the sword and standing up.

"Careful, creature!" the voice says, "I mean you no harm."

The boy blinks and says, "Who...who and what are you?"

"I'm Saggitarius," the voice says, "an FM-ian scout sent to this planet. Who and what are you, may I ask?"

"Ikonu-Witoro, a human," the boy says, "I'm no interest to aliens, Saggitarius...I'm merely a villager in love with a princess, is all."

"What do you call this planet, Ikonu-Witoro?" Saggitarius says.

"Teruikonela," Ikonu says, "and simply call me Ikonu. Witoro is my family name."

"We call your planet '40-Incognito'," Saggitarius says, "Hey, I heard you talking to yourself...can we make a deal?"

"Uh...sure," Ikonu says, "What?"

"You let me stick with you and learn more about planet Teruikonela," Saggitarius says, "and I'll help you get the princess. Deal?"

"Sure!" Ikonu says, "Anything you'd want me to do other than that?"

"Yeah, Ikonu," Saggitarius says, "when I tell you to do something, don't question me more than thrice. I'll ignore you."

"Um...okay," Ikonu says, "What's your plan?"

"Where's the castle?" Saggitarius asks.

Ikonu points northerly, saying, "Yonder north. 30 poli away."

"Poli?" I say.

"Dunno," Omega-Xis says, "maybe it's kilometers or something."

"Let's pulse out first..." Saggitarius says.

The two beings separate, and Saggitarius leaves in the direction Ikonu pointed.

The memory changes to a palace, a grand palace.

Saggitarius goes through the walls of the palace until he finds a group of women.

"I wonder," Saggitarius says, joining the group.

"Princess Akina-Wokumu," one of the women say, "your father is getting anxious on who you should marry."

"I know," says another woman, one with a veil in front of her lower face, "and you are all married, dear friends. Tell me: do you have any opinions on who should be my husband?"

_The one with the veil must be the princess._

"Mega?" I say.

"I heard it too," Omega-Xis says, "Not just memories, but thoughts from that time."

"How about Ikonu-Witoro?" Saggitarius says, raising his pitch to sound like a woman, "He loves you more than life itself."

Akina and the other women look around, then begin talking again.

"He's the apprentice of a tuleo seller," the first woman says, "but he's a kind man. He doesn't refuse service to anyone, even when they are pur."

"Loves me more than life itself..." Akina says thoughtfully, "I might have to meet him."

"Thirty poli south," Saggitarius says with a grin, "and he's wanting to know your favorite flowers."

"Oh, that's a difficult question!" the other women say, abuzz with chattering and guessing.

"If you can reach him before I do," Akina says, "my favorite flower is the Tinmio Burigo."

"Tinmio Burigo, coming up!" Saggitarius says, disappearing on the Wave Road.

"That's called cheating," I say.

"Perhaps," Omega-Xis says, "but I think that it'll work."


	10. Chapter 9

"Thanks for coming with me, Eric," I say when we reach Layla's house.

We'd placed Drago/Delilah's body in my house, in my bedroom before we came here.

"No problem," Eric says, "but...I had no idea that you were...a Goth."

"We're people too," I say, trying not to act as though he disappointed me.

"I know," Eric says, "but you wear pink when you're Lyra Melody, and I read somewhere that Goths hate pink..."

"Those are the hardcore Goths," I say curtly.

"Okay," Eric says.

I knock three times on the door.

After a moment, the door opens to reveal Mrs. Woods.

"Mrs. Woods," I say, "um...we need to tell you something."

Eric looks at me like he thinks I should just get it over with, but I say nothing more.

"Come in," Mrs. Woods says, "We'll talk in Layla's bedroom."

We enter the house.

Eric stops when we're passing the living room.

"Eric?" I say.

"Isn't that Ophiuca's human?" Eric says, pointing to the figure on the couch.

A teenage girl is on the couch, drinking cocoa like nothing's wrong.

"Lee Furukoni?" I say in shock.

Lee looks up and smiles slightly.

However, the smile is one more appropriate for a weakened person, rather than a person intent on killing me.

"She's one of you?" Mrs. Woods asks.

"Yes," Eric says before I can say no.

"Well, then we can talk in the living room," Mrs. Woods says, beaming.

Mrs. Woods sits us down on the living room couches, then sits on the recliner.

"Layla...was kidnapped," I say, my eyes darting from Lee to Mrs. Woods, "by an FM-ian known as Saggitarius."

Mrs. Woods' eyes widen, but she says nothing.

"We made Saggitarius swear that Layla wouldn't come to harm," Eric says, "so far, he hasn't harmed her."

"I thought he was a planet-destroyer!" Lee interrupts.

I glare at Lee as I say, "That's what we thought before we saw that Layla was all right. The problem is, she can't pulse out, or she'd've done it by now. Now, what are you doing here, Lee?"

Lee squirms and says, "I...I was weakened. Aquarius attacked me and ran. I came here and asked for shelter."

"She did ask for shelter," Mrs. Woods says.

"Lee, we need your help," Eric says, "Crown Lily's body was taken over by Drago."

Lee looks truly confused as she says, "Who's Drago?"

"An ancient FM-ian," I say, "That's all we know. Delilah might still be in danger, though."

Lee bows her head and says, "And I was supposed to protect Crown Lily-sama. I came here too late."

Mrs. Woods stands up and says, "I'll leave you three to talk the recent events over. Where's Aquarius, by the way?"

"I don't know," Lee says.

"We don't, either," Eric says.

Mrs. Woods nods and leaves the room.


	11. Chapter 10

We arrive at the park-place a minute or two later.

"Tinmio Burigo!" Saggitarius says, "Get it!"

Ikonu looks at Saggitarius for a moment before saying, "Oh! I get it! One forund..."

Ikonu looks through the garden until he finds a gray rose.

"Ech," I say, "that's the princess' favorite flower?"

"Who cares?" Omega-Xis says.

"That's a Tinmio Burigo?" Saggitarius says in disgust, "I've seen weeds prettier than that."

"Weeds?" Ikonu says.

"Oh. Right," Saggitarius says, "Whaddaya call those annoying plants that aren't edible or pretty?"

"Gyufons," Ikonu says.

"Fine. I've seen gyufons prettier than that!" Saggitarius says.

"Well, this is a Tinmio Burigo," Ikonu says with a hurt voice.

"Well, at least the woman is showing up," Saggitarius says, "I told her where you were, too. Lucky you, since they were talking about marriage for the woman. What's with the veil on her face, anyway?"

"The veil?" Ikonu says, "Well, when a woman is unmarried, they must wear a veil to conceal their beauty from anyone other than their husband. Only their eyes can be seen, so you can't tell if the woman has good features or not. If they're not wearing a veil, they are considered married. What did they say about me?"

"You're a kind human, you don't refuse service to anyone, even if they're 'pur'," Saggitarius replies, "I think I did something right in crashing into you, Ikonu."

Ikonu blushes slightly as he says, "I never knew that Princess Akina would hear of that sort of thing. The pur people of this kingdom need tuleos, and that's why I picked the career."

"Hmph," Saggitarius says, "Sooner or later, Ikonu, you'll have to tell me more about Teruikonela."

"I will!" Ikonu says, "But where are you going?"

"To report to the FM-ians," Saggitarius says, "but I'll be back. Tell me how it goes, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay," Ikonu says, "Thank you, Saggitarius. I hope the FM-ians are just as kind as you."

Saggitarius' eyes widen slightly, but he sounds perfectly calm as he says, "Just as each person is unique, so each FM-ian is just as unique."

The memory changes to Planet FM, where I notice Saggitarius speaking.

"...And that is my report," Saggitarius finishes clearly.

The FM-ian standing in front of Saggitarius nods and says, "This is why you are the best scout. You can charm anyone into your bidding."

"Ah, well, I crashed into the human," Saggitarius says, "It was a mere accident."

"The first fusion of alien and FM-ian!" the FM-ian says, "Accident or not, your name will go down in history!"

A different FM-ian shoves through the crowd and says, "Come now! We're just going to conquer the planet anyway! What should we care for mere 'humans'?"

"They are just as unique and structured as ourselves, if not more so," Saggitarius says simply, "They have traditions and rules, some that we can bend...or help improve. Drago, must you be so uncaring for the planets?"

"That's Drago?" I say, shocked.

"Yup, from what little I've heard and read about," Omega-Xis says, "Drago was the one who caused Saggitarius to become Primal."

"I thought there was more to Drago," I say softly, "but never...this."

"The only life we'd seen that was structured was the planet 14-Metya," Drago says, "and even then, those 'lives' were the echoes of our voices as we bickered."

"Whatever," Saggitarius says, "If I may have permission, may I return to Teruik...I mean, 40-Incognito?"

"Yes," the mystery FM-ian says.

Saggitarius disappears, and a bright light fills the memory.


	12. Chapter 11

"Wah!" I cry as I open my eyes.

Saggitarius is still near me, and the feeling of contentment that returns tells me that barely a moment has passed.

"Saggitarius," I say, "What did Drago do to you?"

Saggitarius replies with a feeling of avoidance.

"Okay," I say, "Just asking."

"Tell me why you've kidnapped us!" Omega-Xis says, "Can you tell us that?"

A feeling of confirmation sweeps me.

"Why?" I ask.

A feeling of...what is it? Gratitude? As though a mission is underway? Either way, it floods me.

"A mission?" Omega-Xis says.

Saggitarius nods.

"Does it involve Cygnus?" I ask.

Saggitarius shakes his head.

"Did you make up the mission?" Omega-Xis presses.

A feeling of slight disdain sweeps me, as though Saggitarius is saying, "Do I _look_ like I'd kidnap you for my own gain?"

"Yes, you do," I say, "and you also look like you'd destroy the world. Does the mission involve me and Omega-Xis?"

Confirmation, with an added burst of excitement.

"Do you know why we're needed?" Omega-Xis asks.

Again, confirmation.

"Hm," Omega-Xis says, "he seems to know a lot about Earth, though. Maybe he's been given coordinates from someone?"

"While asleep?" I say, "You're crazy."

"We can share memories in our sleep," Omega-Xis says, "What if Saggitarius was told something while asleep, and he had to perform it?"

The feeling of confirmation grows stronger.

"Will it harm the Earth?" I ask.

The confirmation disappears.

"Uh...will it help the Earth?" I rephrase.

The confirmation returns, with a sort of feeling that says, "Getting closer".

"Will it counter Andromeda?" Omega-Xis says.

The confirmation remains, with a feeling of satisfaction.

"Is that all you're telling us?" I say.

Saggitarius nods, nearly surprising me with the sign of movement.

I sigh and say, "Well, that's good enough, I guess."

"He's not as insane as I supposed," Omega-Xis says, "I thought he would ravage Earth from the start."

"Whoever Saggitarius is taking orders from, I guess they'll be happy that we're not coming to harm," I say.

"If it's whoever's on my list of possibilities," Omega-Xis says, "I'm going to be really surprised."

"Who?" I say.

"If it's not them, then I'd've gotten you excited over nothing," Omega-Xis says curtly, "So, I'm not telling."


	13. Chapter 12

"Finished," I say, looking over the upgraded globe.

_Yes. Now we have more liberty when it comes to influencing what we see._

"Time to get it to Aquarius," I say, exiting the room.

Thalia and Aquarius are talking, but when I enter, they fall silent.

"I think this might work," I say, "you see, I've upgraded the globe to where we can interact with what we see, including communicating. We can communicate with Layla in this fashion."

Aquarius takes the small globe from my hands, his cold hands brushing against my own.

I shiver, my senses reeling from the coldness of my own creator's hands.

"Show me Layla," Aquarius says, his voice dripping with concern.

An image of Layla as MegaGirl in a cave appears, the young girl sitting near Saggitarius.

"Ah!" Thalia gasps, "She's unharmed!"

_But why? How?_

"Libra, calm down," I murmur, softly enough to where the pair didn't hear.

"Layla," Aquarius says, "can you hear me?"

Layla and Saggitarius look up.

"Just nod if you can hear me," Aquarius says.

Layla nods, stroking Saggitarius' arm.

The Primal being lies back down and begins purring, of all things.

"Aquarius?" Layla says aloud.

"Are you all right?" Aquarius says.

"Yeah," Omega-Xis says, "All we know is that Saggitarius is on a mission that will help Earth."

"What sort of mission? And who in the world told you?" Aquarius presses.

"Saggitarius told us," Layla says, "he can talk using emotions. We don't know anything else other than the fact that it could counter Andromeda."

"What about Drago?" I say, "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"Delilah was taken over by him," Layla says, lowering her eyes.

"One of his special powers," I say, turning away from the globe, "He can force an EM wave being out of a body, along with the human's spirit. He can then either force the human to turn into an FM-ian or return the body unharmed."

"What?" Layla's voice says weakly.

"That's what happened to every human Drago took over," I continue, "Every human had to live their 'human' days, watching as Drago abused his powers. Then they turned into...one of us. One by one, he's done it."

"You mean Crown Lily...will become one of us?" Thalia says.

"If we don't return her to her body by the time she dies," I say, "And with Andromeda...Drago wants a human who will be immortal, correct?"

"No idea," Layla says.

"Wait!" Omega-Xis says, "He does! Remember when he tried to take over you when Saggitarius had us in his clutches*?"

"Oh. I nearly forgot about that," Layla says, "We saw some of Saggitarius' memories, so I'm a little disoriented."

"Disoriented is right," Omega-Xis says.

"Did Saggitarius mention anything about Drago?" Thalia asks.

I turn my gaze to the globe as Layla says, "No. He didn't want to talk about it, but Drago did appear Saggitarius' memories...one of the ones we went through, anyway."

"Was there anything pertaining to Planet 40-Incognito?" I ask.

"He hated humans," Layla says, "and he didn't think humans were as superior."

"You must've been early on in the memories, before 40-Incognito was ravaged," Aquarius says, "Once Drago had a taste of EM Wave Change's power, he lusted for more. He used each and every last human on 40-Incognito to try and keep that power...but Saggitarius' Primal Forme was lusting for death, so the stories say."

Layla looks over at Saggitarius, then says, "But...why isn't he harming anyone? The most he'll do is growl...and the only harm he's done is to himself, just to feed me some of his own blood."

"There are stories of Primal Formes using their own blood to sustain themselves if nothing else is available," I say, "I'm sure that Saggitarius knew of his blood's energizing powers, and fed it to you to last for a portion of the trip. About the other part...I don't know."

"Maybe it's because you were Primal once**," Aquarius suggests, "There are stories that also say that if you get two Primals in a room, they won't harm each other. They will believe that they are from a 'pack', like wolves."

"But that's only one time," Thalia says, "What's the difference?"

"Everything," I say, "While a Primal tends to protect humans with their lives and leave them alone otherwise, Primals act as though they must follow the pack leader. Perhaps...perhaps Saggitarius thinks you're the pack leader?"

"You're crazy," Omega-Xis says, "He growls at us if we try to disobey his orders. Layla wouldn't have drunk Saggitarius' blood if Saggitarius hadn't growled at her."

"Take that back, then," I say, "Excuse me for not knowing, Mega."

"This is useless," Aquarius says, "We can't bicker amongst ourselves if we are to stop Cygnus from activating Andromeda. I'm sure that he's seen Saggitarius not harming Layla."

Layla nods and says, "Talk to you later, then."

The globe turns black.

--------------------------------------------

*See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Chapter 40

**See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Chapters 14-15


	14. Chapter 13

The girl begins stroking my arm again, her eyes glazed over with worry mixed with some confusion.

_It's only another three days, child...then you'll return home, and I'll try to find some abandoned asteroid to live on...and mope._

The girl stops, and I try to steer my thoughts away from that dismal subject.

"Are you okay?" the girl asks, and I reply by sending her a feeling of contentment mingled with confusion.

The girl smiles and says, "Okay. Just asking, Saggitarius."

"Your emotion-talk went weird for a second," the AM-ian on the girl's hand adds.

I close my eyes and begin purring.

In my mind, our two beings appear.

Ikonu is across from me, and I- Saggitarius the FM-ian- am able to speak.

"Ikonu," I say, "you do know that we can't remain on this...Earth...forever?"

"We can," Ikonu argues, "We can ask the girl...or our guides."

"They will all refuse," I snap, "Especially the girl. She's afraid of us, of me...of us. We're forever Primal, forever alive...We can't remain here."

"We can," Ikonu repeats, "But until Drago is deleted, we are in constant danger. We'll need their help, Saggitarius."

"We can't ask them!" I say, "I'm sure the girl will be for deleting Drago, but what about our guides? What if they have some use for Drago?"

"The girl only needs to know that we can be trusted," Ikonu says, "and we can put any fear of hers to rest, but we'll have to work for it."

"We're only doing it for our guides!" I hiss, "Nothing more. Your cute romantic side is making me think the girl is the princess."

"She nearly looks like Akina," Ikonu says with a dreamy tone.

"I'll talk to you when you get over your romantic dreams," I say.

I open my eyes.

The girl is still stroking my arm, but she's talking to her AM-ian companion.

"Drago wants to take out my spirit, so that way he can make an immortal human, correct?" the girl says.

"Yeah. So?" the AM-ian says.

"Is Saggitarius' human the same human he used to destroy 40-Incognito?" the girl says.

"Yeah," the AM-ian says.

"Then if Drago can find a human and cause them to go Primal...and then if someone were to place him to sleep..." the girl says, "then he would have what he wants."

_What? Drago can't try that stunt!_

The girl's hand freezes.

_Idiot. What were you thinking?_

The girl looks at me, but her expression makes me blink.

Her eyes are in an expression of concern, as though she truly thinks that I am merely a human in need.

The girl removes her hand from my arm and places it on my head, gently rubbing my head.

"I still don't get it," the girl says, "You're supposedly a planet-destroyer...but how can you be capable of such kindness? You fed me with your own blood, you tried to protect me...why?"

_I...I don't know why. Why am I doing this? Why am I treating this human as though she is more than a package...more than something I had to deliver? Am...Am I...Egh! Disgusting, but the thought just remains...Am I falling in love with this human?_


	15. Chapter 14

"Ah!" Lee says, "Is...is that her?"

I nod and say, "Yeah. We knocked her out."

Delilah's body is still unconcious, but I remain cautious.

"Crown Lily-sama," Lee says softly, "I came here because I thought she was in danger."

"You were right," Eric says, "and now, so are we. If Cygnus gets word of this..."

"He's planned to send out Andromeda if the Earth is not destroyed in two nights," Lee says, "it started last night, so tomorrow morning...Andromeda will be sent out."

"This is all your fault!" I say, "If you FM-ians didn't show up, none of this would've happened!"

Lee bows her head, but remains silent.

"Miss Makina," Eric says, "remember, us humans didn't really start it all. Omega-Xis' planet was destroyed two hundred years ago, by Andromeda...and then he stole the Andromeda Key."

"It's still your fault!" I snap, "And I was talking to Ophiuca, not Lee."

"I know," Lee says weakly, "Ophiuca-chan meant well...but I was obssessed with revenge. I wanted to destroy you*...Whitney, was it?"

I nod.

"I'm sorry," Lee says, "please forgive me."

I'm about to refuse when Lyra says from my TR, "There's bigger forces at work, and we have no need for our petty grudges. We forgive you."

Lee smiles that weak smile and whispers, "Thank you."

"Then it's settled," Eric says, "Lee, can we trust you to look after Miss Crown?"

"Yeah," Lee says, "Yes, Eric-sama."

"Just call me Eric," Eric says, "You should get used to talking like an American, or at least without the honorifics."

"Okay," Lee says.

Eric and I leave the room, and walk into my kitchen.

"Where are your parents?" Eric says.

"They both constantly work," I say, opening the fridge and pulling out a soda, "They're never home unless it's for the holidays."

"Ah," Eric says, "My parents are divorced. My dad has custody of me, but he's usually at work as well. I got the job as Miss Crown's gardener because I needed to get money for myself."

I nod and say, "I understand."

"Say, Whitney," Eric says, "do you think Saggitarius is keeping that promise?"

"I don't know what to think," I say, opening the soda, "I just have a feeling that they're at least safer than before, with Drago chasing them and all."

Eric nods and says, "I'm still new to this whole thing. Wolf fused with me twice**, and I'm still getting the hang of it."

"To tell you the truth," I say, "we are all new to this. Layla's had Omega-Xis for about a week and a half, and she's had no time to practice with her Battle Cards."

"Battle..." Eric says, "I thought they were forbidden."

"We have ways of obtaining stuff," I say with a smirk, "Lyra had a contact who could supply us with data***."

"Nice," Eric says, then adds, "We'll need those to defeat the bad guys."

"There's a problem," I say, "Who's really evil? I know Cygnus is, but we're dealing with Saggitarius and Drago...but which one is the bad guy?"

----------------------------------------------

*See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Prologue

**See MegaGirl Starforce 2: Chapter 14

***See MegaGirl Starforce: Chapter 30


	16. An Announcement

**Update:**

While I have been working on MGSF3, I haven't been able to get the files onto a USB or onto the computer. I know you're looking forward to more of MegaGirl and her adventures with Saggitarius, I urge you to please be patient…and that looks about it.


	17. Chapter 15

Saggitarius stands up and walks outside.

"Are we leaving already?" I ask.

When Saggitarius doesn't come in, I stand up and walk outside.

"Hey!" Omega-Xis says, "Do you want him to continue with the trip?"

I pause.

_I need to know more. What is up with Drago? What is the truth to the story? Why is Saggitarius taking us if he's not going to kill us?_

"Yeah," I say, "Yeah, we need Saggitarius to continue the trip. I think everyone needs him to. We're all connected in this somehow, and I'm going to find out."

"Okay," Omega-Xis says, "since I have no choice other than to stick with you, then...we're going."

I nod and find Saggitarius shaking a tree.

A few orange fruits fall onto the ground.

Saggitarius picks one up and uses his claws to rip off the skin, then splits it in half and offers me half of the fruit.

"Uh, thanks," I say, taking the half and eating it.

It tastes good, like nothing I've tasted before.

"Mmmmm," I mumble, "This is great."

Saggitarius eats the other half, his eyes darting around as though he expected Drago to return.

When I finish my half, I say, "Thank you."

Saggitarius finishes his half and licks the backs of his hands...er, paws.

Saggitarius then walks over to me and flings me over his shoulder.

"We're leaving already?" I ask.

A feeling of confirmation sweeps over me, along with the sense of urgency.

"Okay, whatever works," Omega-Xis says.

Saggitarius begins running again, and this time, I use the time to watch as the scenery flies past us.

_Hm...this whole journey is supposed to help Earth and counter Andromeda...but how? Am I going to learn how to awaken Primal Forme whenever I want to?_

That last thought immediately causes me to shake my head.

_No, and unless it also comes with a way to control Primal Forme, I'm not going to use that sort of ability._

"Might as well just relax," I mutter.

"I can't," Omega-Xis says, "I'm too busy wondering where we're going and why."

"Worrywart," I say with a smile.

"What? You're getting used to him already?" Omega-Xis says.

"Sort of," I say, "I know he won't hurt us, and since there's no threat to us right now, I think this trip will be a peaceful one."

"Until Drago wakes up," Omega-Xis reminds me, "then he'll continue the hunt."

"Yeah, I know," I say, "but we can take care of Drago...right?"

Saggitarius sends me a wave of confirmation mixed with smugness.

"See?" I say.

"I'm trying to be the one with common sense here," Omega-Xis says, "I mean, yeah, Saggitarius might be a good guy, but if he was so good, why'd he destroy 40-Incognito?"

"How'd the FM-ians find a herb to put him to sleep?" I counter.

"Don't ask me, ask Libra," Omega-Xis says, "He was the hero in that incident."

I sigh and say, "We're getting nowhere by bickering. Let's just relax for now."

"Whatever," Omega-Xis says.

---------------------------------

Sorry for the delay! I've noticed a slight fanbase has been building up, and I just want to say: thank you for supporting me! You guys are really awesome!


	18. Chapter 16

"Crown Lily-sama?" a female voice says.

_Not Crown Lily. Dragon Lily._

I open my eyes to see a young girl whose EM waves radiate the familiar Z waves of Ophiuca.

_Lee Furukoni: pop star, supposedly Sonia Skye's descendant...also known as Ophiuca Avenger._

"Lee?" I say.

Lee beams and says, "Oh! You're all right!"

I sit up, looking around at the black-walled bedroom.

"Where...where am I?" I ask.

"You're in Whitney's bedroom," Lee explains, "They claimed that Drago took you over...I thought they were lying, though, Crown-sama."

"Of course they were!" I snap, "Wolf and Lyra are both traitors to FM, and they must've convinced their humans to lie to you, my dear Lee-chan."

Lee blinks, as though Delilah didn't use "Lee-chan".

"Uh...um...Crown-sama!" Lee says, "I was also told not to let you leave. They said that Drago took you over, and even though I think they're lying, your armor seems different."

"We crashed, but Crown the FM-ian was shoved out," I say with a wave of my hand, "Drago is happy to let me do as I wish, Lee-chan."

"Oh, good," Lee says, "then we can defeat MegaGirl?"

The door opens to reveal the two who knocked me out, except merely human.

"You're awake," Eric says.

"Yeah," I say warily.

"Lee," Whitney says, "we heard everything. Read my lips: that is not Crown Lily. Drago took Delilah over."

Lee looks from me to them and back again.

"Ha ha ha," I say, "Come on, Whitney-"

"The real Crown Lily doesn't know my identity," Whitney says, "We didn't even meet."

_Great._

"So it is Drago?" Lee says.

Whitney nods and says, "That's what we tried to tell you. Back away."

Lee stands up and backs away from me, my hope to escape unnoticed fading.

I stand up, allowing my power to flow into Delilah's fingertips.

"What do you want?" Eric says.

"I want nothing more than the blood of MegaGirl and Saggitarius," I snarl, "and when I get it, you'll have little Delilah back in her body."

"Why do you want their deaths?" Eric says, "Other than the obvious."

"Saggitarius was my worst enemy," I say, deciding that pity would move the humans, "He was the hero, the ever-so-famous 'first EM wave human'. He rubbed it in my face, and he often went to 40-Incognito to train the human. He thought that the humans could be taught."

"That's all?" Whitney says.

I shake my head and say, "I wish it was. I tried to take over a human myself, but alas, it turned out to be Saggitarius' human's 'significant other'. Before I could explain, Saggitarius and the human went Primal. I tried to stop him, using every human I could get my hands on, but...Saggitarius refused to be stopped."

"The stories say that Libra found the herb which put Saggitarius to sleep," Lee says.

"It's true," I say, frowning to get the full effect, "My pride was broken, and all the humans I'd used lay dead...and Saggitarius still lived. When they put him to sleep, I tried to tell the FM King at the time not to keep him...but the others wouldn't listen. They thought that Saggitarius would be the ultimate weapon, the planet-destroyer..."

I notice Lee's eyes growing moist, as though human tears lingered.

_Time for the final blow!_

"I left FM for a while, wanting power," I say, "but none of the humans had what Saggitarius had accomplished: immortality. I tried every method, every little obscure experiment...but nothing succeeded. Then...then I crashed into Crown Lily and temporarily took over her body. Two FM-ians in a body, I reasoned, could make one immortal."

Whitney's eyes are still firm, as though she thought it was a bunch of hooey.

"However, Crown Lily's FM-ian shoved me out before I could fully control the body," I say, "but Crown Lily saw potential. She asked me if I could help her, in exchange for immortality. I agreed, but recently...Crown Lily awakened Saggitarius."

Eric nods and says, "And naturally, that would make you feel betrayed."

"Yes," I say, making my voice quiver, "and so I decided to take Crown Lily's body to destroy Saggitarius, once and for all."

"And why are you after Layla?" Whitney snaps.

"Because Saggitarius is showing a genuine interest," I say, "and if Saggitarius isn't destroying MegaGirl, then it would make me curious."

Eric lowers his head, as though thinking.

"And that's my story," I say, "other than the fact that I'd rather that Earth is still here."

Whitney is looking at Eric, her eyes telling me that Eric's opinion would decide my fate.

Lee looks as though she is discussing it with Ophiuca.

Finally, Eric raises his head and says, "No."

"No what?" I say, blinking.

"No, we won't allow you to destroy either of them," Eric says, "A friend once said to me, 'no matter the reason, you cannot betray an ally or friend'. Layla is an ally, and Saggitarius was willing to protect her...and he swore an oath to me. If Layla dies...he would die. Saggitarius, Layla, Whitney, and I...we are allies. We don't know about Lee, but the choice is hers, not ours."

My eyes widen.

_This wasn't supposed to happen._

"Fine," I snap, "then I'll destroy them myself."

I shove the two humans away from me as I walk down the stairs.

"Hey!" Whitney's voice calls.

I don't bother looking back as I walk outside the house.

----------------------------

Looks like Drago's up to no good again! Keep an eye out for an FM-ian who might seem familiar later on!


	19. Chapter 17

As there are fanbases, there are fans who like certain characters in a fanbase. One reader whose name slips my mind right now said that Thalia is her favorite character, and so I find that the "siblings" are all impressive in their own way.

------------------------------------

"Aren't you going to stay, Father?" I ask as Aquarius is about to leave.

Aquarius shakes his head and says, "No. I cannot merely watch as Drago puts whatever dastardly plan he has into motion. If he manages to provoke Saggitarius into destroying Earth...I won't be able to forgive myself."

"Father," I say, "we'll go with you."

Michael looks up and says, "What?"

"We'll go with you," I repeat, "Layla's our sister, and the Earth is our home. We can't stand by."

Michael realizes what's going on, as he stands up and says, "Yeah. We can't let you go alone."

Aquarius looks at both of us before saying, "Thalia. Michael. You both do realize that you are putting yourselves in danger?"

We both nod.

Aquarius smiles and says, "All right. We'll go to Layla's house, since that's the most obvious place where our allies will be."

_I heard that Wolf is on Earth as well._

I nod, but say nothing.

Aquarius goes outside, and we follow.

_Gemini? Which of our allies are here?_

There's a pause before a curt reply is given.

_Enough. More than enough to counter Drago._

"Are you sure that we aren't obvious in our EM wave forms?" Michael asks.

"I'm sure," Aquarius says, "Not many humans think of armored beings like us to be dangerous."

"Father?" I say, "Are the Satellites involved?"

Aquarius looks at me, but I can't see his eyes.

Finally, he says, "I don't know. I don't know what's going on."

"Oh," I say.

"There is a chance," Michael says, "Libra was defeated by one who had the Satellites' power."

"Geo Stelar, whose body I inhabit now," Aquarius says, "but if they want Layla...it would make sense. I'm sure that Cygnus has noticed that the Earth isn't shattered. The Star Force was supposed to counter Andromeda, but somehow it couldn't the first time."

"The Star Force," I murmur, closing my eyes for a moment.

The images of a young boy- who I assume was MegaMan- in three different outfits flash before me.

_One of fire, one of ice, and one of nature._

I open my eyes and say, "I see."

"But then there's the obvious question," Michael says, "Why would they use Saggitarius?"

"I've no idea," Aquarius says, "We need information."

Aquarius pulls out his globe and says, "Show me Cygnus."

The globe's image changes to one of a group of FM-ians surrounding Cygnus.

"M'lord Cygnus," one of them says, one who I know as Ursa, "why don't we wait until MegaGirl is defeated? Why tomorrow night, human time?"

Cygnus doesn't answer.

"What about Aquarius?" another one says, one who I can tell is Scorpio, "Isn't he an FM-ian of assassination? If you don't delete him, then he might delete you when he has a chance."

Again, no reply.

"Hush, everyone," a new voice says.

Everyone raises their heads to see an FM-ian I never knew.

This newcomer has the air of someone who travels, and it wears a veil over its face.

"M'lord, Great Swan," the FM-ian says, "I have come, as you have commanded."

"Good," Cygnus says, "Everyone, this is Anika. This is one of the FM-ians formed during 40-Incognito's destruction."

"Call me Gypsy, if you find my name too human-like," Anika says, "but Anika makes me feel special."

Whispers arise.

"Who is she?"

"Was she one of the humans Drago took over?"

"What a babe!"

Anika merely giggles, but Cygnus says, "Calm down."

Everyone silences.

"M'lord," Anika says, "is Andromeda still due to activate tomorrow night?"

"Yes, but there are protests," Cygnus says.

"Heed those protests," Anika says, "We will never know whether MegaGirl or Aquarius will counter Andromeda. Only when we have reports confirming that they are dead or captured will we activate Andromeda."

"All right," Cygnus says, then loudly, "Everyone! There will now be a great hunt! MegaGirl and Aquarius must be captured or killed! Use any resource, kill any human, do anything you can do to destroy them!"

The globe's image turns black.

"Father?" I say, looking up from the globe.

"A great hunt," Aquarius murmurs, "this is terrible."

"It gives us time," Michael says, "Plus, they didn't count on us. We came to Earth just in time, it seems. We still have time to find Layla and Saggitarius."

"Not to mention the reason why Saggitarius is kidnapping Layla!" I add.

_But what about our allies? Why isn't Cygnus focusing on them?_

I fall silent as we keep walking.

_Dunno. I mean, he hasn't mentioned anything about Drago, other than the question of that Akina FM-ian...we should wait and see._


	20. Chapter 18

The girl talks mainly to the AM-ian, but occasionally she asks me things; mainly, "Are you okay?" or "Are you tired?"

Of course, I merely send her the emotions I need to feel at the moment: refusal to give up, and the sense of urgency.

She talks about Drago a lot, but I understand: she was worried because Drago tried to take her over.

After a while, the girl says, "Uh...hey, Saggitarius. Where are we?"

I reply with a feeling that could be summed up in a few words: _Somewhere, but we're not lost._

"Oh. Okay," the girl says, "Are we any closer?"

I allow confirmation with a bit of irritation.

_Of course we're getting closer! Is this girl dumb or something?_

I hear a growling, and the girl sighs and says, "I'm a little hungry...ha ha."

I stop and look around.

So far, I hadn't found any sign of civilization, and that's a good thing.

The bad news is, there's no trees or animals nearby.

I set the girl down and cut the same wound I fed her from earlier.

"You don't have to-" the girl begins, but I growl.

"Just do it," the AM-ian says, "We'll need all the energy we can get."

I offer the girl my arm, and she drinks the blood almost greedily.

When she finishes, she mutters a thanks.

I cover the wound and watch as she looks around.

She doesn't stand up; instead, she's curiously taking in the environment.

I check the wound and find it healed.

_The powers I've had since tens of thousands of years ago...they've never changed._

I pick the girl up, and begin running.

"This is a change of pace," the AM-ian says.

"It's a little more comforting," the girl says, "but yeah, it's a change of pace."

I don't look at the girl, mainly because I didn't want to see that expression of concern again.

_I'm not in need. I'm just...me. Saggitarius Warrior's Primal Forme. Is there anything wrong with that?_

I feel the girl squirm slightly, but it ceases quickly.

"Sorry," the girl's voice says, "I just needed to get a little more comfortable."

I send her a feeling of understanding.

"Thank you," she says, "Thank you...for everything."

_For everything? What does she mean by "everything"? Keeping her alive or kidnapping her?_

The girl seems to feel my confusion, as she says, "For not hurting anyone...and keeping me safe from Drago."

_I wish our guides would let me stay. Too bad that I know I should go to some asteroid to prevent myself from being provoked..._

The girl begins a conversation with the AM-ian, but it's not about Drago; it's about the two who tried to steal the girl away from me, but let me off with a sworn oath.

"I wonder how Wolf's doing with his human?" the girl says, "And Whitney..."

"Don't forget Delilah," the AM-ian says, "Drago took over her...and if someone doesn't return her to her body before her body dies...then she'll become an FM-ian."

"I'd wished for something bad to happen to her," the girl says, "but nobody deserves that fate."

_Doesn't that mean that every single human that Drago used...they became FM-ians? Ikonu would be happy to hear about it, since it means that we can find Akina..._

"Not your fault," the AM-ian says, "Besides, at least we know how so many FM-ians crop up."

"Do you know how AM-ians are created?" the girl asks.

"Nope, and I don't think I'd want to," the AM-ian says curtly.

"Just asking," the girl says.


	21. Chapter 19

"There," I say, entering an empty house that had a "For Sale" sign outside.

_Please! Give me back my body, Drago!_

"Shut up, you filthy mortal," I snap, "Otherwise, I just kill this body now and put you in neverending misery!"

_And how do you do that? I'll be dead!_

"Actually, when a human I possess dies, they become an FM-ian!" I chortle after closing the door.

_D-Drago! Please, I don't want to be an FM-ian..._

"Then you'll help me destroy MegaGirl and Saggitarius," I say simply.

There's a pause before a different voice is heard.

"Drago."

I look around, my ears not decieving me.

"Gypsy," I say, "one of the FM-ians I had a hand in creating. Show yourself!"

A television turns on, and I notice that the female FM-ian is on the screen.

"You never had any respect for humans, did you, Drago?" Gypsy asks.

"Nope. Never," I say, shrugging Delilah's shoulders, "Sad to say, you were a fool like the rest of them."

"You took everything away from me," Gypsy says, "and for that, I'll never forgive you."

"Oh, enough with the sappy talk, doll," I say, "I never did learn your human name. Mind if you tell me...?"

"I mind, thank you very much," Gypsy says with a huff, "There's a great hunt for MegaGirl and Aquarius. That's all I'm telling you."

"And what about Andromeda, woman?" I snap.

"Its activation is postponed," Gypsy says, "but Saggitarius will do whatever it takes to protect whatever he sees in MegaGirl."

"Big deal," I say, sitting on a chair someone left behind.

"To you, it is," Gypsy says, "MegaGirl is the second one who can defeat Andromeda...and this time, she might live, but only with Saggitarius and Aquarius."

"So?" I say, "They have to get past me first."

Gypsy's eyes darken as she says, "Drago, we will make you pay for what you took away that day on Teruikonela. You'll see."

"Wait a moment!" I say, my eyes widening, "Are you saying that you were-"

"Yes, Drago," Gypsy says, "I was one of the ones Saggitarius killed on the first day...but I won't tell you who."

Gypsy's image disappears from the screen, leaving the screen with noise.

I stand up, howling, "You can't be her! You can't be! I won't believe that you are her!"

_Her who? Your humanoid lover?_

I ignore Delilah this time, kneeling and whispering, "You can't be. You...you can't be her."

--------------------------

Looks like Drago knows this FM-ian better than one thinks. But who is Gypsy really?


	22. Chapter 20

"My Lyra senses are tingling," Whitney says.

Drago escaped an hour ago, and we'd spent that time looking for him.

Unfortunately, luck and hiding places seemed to be on his side, as we couldn't find him.

"Your 'Lyra senses'?" Lee says.

"Yeah, from that 190x cartoon," Whitney explains, "Spider-man. He had 'Spider-sense', so I decided to say, 'Lyra senses'. Whenever Spider-man's Spider-senses are tingling, danger is coming."

"Oh," Lee says.

"Quit using outdated pop references," I say with a sigh, "Is your dad that old?"

"My mom had a father who collected comics," Whitney says with a tinge of embarrassment, "I like to read them."

Lee and I both sigh.

"And my Lyra senses point this way!" Whitney says, pointing to a house that never did seem to attract customers.

"That seems too obvious," Lee says, "but we'll look, to satisfy 'Lyra Woman'."

"Hey! You made a joke!" Whitney says.

We enter the house to find a TV on, with noise.

Nobody's here; if Drago was here, he'd've probably heard Whitney with her outdated pop culture references.

"Aw, I thought I was right," Whitney says.

"And you are," a voice says.

I look around, but the girls don't seem to react.

"Don't you hear that?" I say.

"Hear what?" Lee says.

"Hear a voice," I reply.

The girls shake their heads.

"Drago was here," the voice says sadly, "but he left. He met an FM-ian by the name of Gypsy, but he seems to know her from 40-Incognito."

"Who are you?" I ask.

Whitney looks at me as though I'm crazy, while Lee seems intent on ignoring me.

"Delilah!" the voice cries, "I grew tired of begging Drago to return my body, so I decided to see if anyone else could hear me. Thank goodness I stayed, Eric!"

"Guys!" I say, "Delilah! Turns out it was true!"

Lee and Whitney seem both excited and disturbed.

I explain what Delilah said so far, then say, "Delilah? Do you know anything else?"

"About what? Drago? Layla's condition?" Delilah says.

"Anything," I say.

"About Drago, you missed him by at least twenty minutes," Delilah says, "About Layla, she is most likely fine and unharmed."

"What about Aquarius? Ask her that," Whitney says.

"I can hear you, you know," Delilah says, "but no, I know nothing about Aquarius."

I tell the girls Delilah's answers.

"Can she follow Saggitarius?" Lee asks.

"Yes, and I can do so right now," Delilah says.

After a moment, I say, "I think she went to follow Saggitarius."

"Then we are lucky for once," Whitney says, "Drago won't know what hit him."


	23. Chapter 21

I fall asleep as Saggitarius runs, my mind unable to stay awake.

---------------------------------------------

We're back at the garden, but this time, Ikonu is fused with Saggitarius.

"Where is she?" Ikonu says, "That FM-ian said she would be here...I hope she's all right."

"It's my fault," Saggitarius says with a hint of shame, "If I didn't fuse with you, Drago wouldn't have gotten involved..."

"It's not your fault at all," Ikonu says, "Without you, I wouldn't have found happiness."

"Drago wants to take it all away," Saggitarius says.

"At least I had a taste of it," Ikonu says.

"My, my," Akina's voice says.

Akina walks out of a group of bushes...but she's different.

"Drago fused with her like he did Delilah," Omega-Xis says.

I nod, but keep silent.

Drago's touch definitely had involvement here, as Akina is wearing armor and carrying a whip. At her side, a sharp sword gleams.

"Akina!" Ikonu says.

"Not anymore," Saggitarius says, "Drago took her over, and it sounds like he forced her spirit out."

"Exactly," Drago says in Akina's voice, "You are quite perspective. Oh, the things Akina thinks of you, dear Ikonu...they are saddening to one who supposedly loved her more than life itself..."

"Don't listen to him!" Saggitarius hisses, "FM-ians are beings who thrive on loneliness, and Drago is no exception. He's trying to use Akina to get to me!"

"What did she say to you?" Ikonu says.

Drago doesn't answer, but merely giggles.

"Answer me!" Ikonu shouts.

"She said that she preferred the Duke of the next kingdom," Drago says, fluttering Akina's eyelashes, "and she wouldn't have gone to this place if Saggitarius hadn't put a tasty morsel on her plate...'loving me more than life itself'..."

"Lies!" Saggitarius says, "Nothing but lies, Drago, and that's what I expect of any FM-ian who doesn't care for humans!"

"Oh, come now," Drago says, "do you need proof? I can give you proof."

Drago lowers Akina's head for a moment, then raises it.

"I-Ikonu?" Drago/Akina says in a frightened voice, "W-what's going on?"

"Don't believe his rubbish!" Saggitarius says.

Ikonu remains silent.

Drago/Akina walks towards Ikonu, saying, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Ikonu says gruffly, "but...do you really love me?"

Drago/Akina shakes her head and says, "I loved the Duke of Lotuer. I could never love a tuleo seller, Ikonu."

"She's lying!" Saggitarius says, "Drago can't simply put a being back in its own body just like that and keep that form-"

"I believe her," Ikonu says, "She is a princess, and every daughter of a king must never lie..."

"Think, Ikonu!" Saggitarius says, "If they never lie, then what do you call those times whenever she said she loved you? Do you think she would hide something like this? Why did she take you at the altar?"

I notice a smirk cross Drago/Akina and before I know it, Ikonu is on the ground.

"Fools," Drago/Akina says, the gruff manner of Drago returning, "Don't you see? Akina never loved Ikonu, and she loathed your job, your life, your very birth...just accept it, Saggitarius."

"A-Akina..." Ikonu murmurs.

"How dare you," Saggitarius says, "Insulting our bond...when you never had any...you...you'll pay."

Ikonu stands up, his eyes glassy.

"You'll pay!" Saggitarius shouts.

Ikonu looks at Drago/Akina with hatred in his eyes, but also a trace of sadness.

Ikonu lets out a mighty roar, causing Drago/Akina to fly back into the bushes.

"Agh!" I cry, "Mega! What's going on?"

"They're going Primal!" Omega-Xis says, "This is the moment that changed FM forever!"

When the EM waves clear, the beast is there.

"Oh...oh my," Drago/Akina says, eyes widening.

The beast lumbers over to Drago/Akina, eyes flickering with the same emotions that Ikonu had in his eyes.

_I'm sorry._

I blink.

_Akina...I'm sorry. The only way to free Drago's hold on you...is to destroy you both._

"Omega-Xis?" I say, "Was this-"

"It wasn't mentioned," Omega-Xis says, "Drago was the one who reported Saggitarius going Primal...but...he never mentioned how he provoked Saggitarius and Ikonu."

Drago/Akina stands up and tries to use the whip to tie its arms together.

Saggitarius looks at his arms for a moment, then snaps the ropes.

Drago/Akina backs away, pulling out the sword.

_Akina...forgive me!_

Saggitarius leaps onto Drago/Akina, ripping Akina's head off.

Two FM-ians rise out of the body: one is Drago, while the other is one I don't know.

The new FM-ian disappears, its eyes promising forgiveness.

"Ha! I've got millions of humans to destroy you with!" Drago shouts, fleeing.

Saggitarius looks around, sniffing the air.

_Drago should still be here...eat kill mutilate...Drago...must die...must pay for what he did to me...and Ikonu._

The memory changes to Saggitarius near a river, but the environment is so different that I doubted that it was the same 40-Incognito.

The river is filled with blood, the stench of it reaching my nose.

The sky is red, and there are corpses lying on the ground.

Drago is going from live human to live human, in an army.

Saggitarius is destroying them, one by one.

"So this is what Drago caused," I say sadly, "A war that was destined to destroy this planet."

"Not only that," Omega-Xis says, "Saggitarius is avoiding the humans until Drago takes over them..."

By the time all of the humans are dead, I'm nearly sick to my stomach.

"Ergh," Drago says as he floats out of the final body, "And that was my last one...Saggitarius, you have become nothing but a bloodthirsty animal...but this is your destiny, I guess...to die at the hands of Drago!"

"Drago!" a new voice calls.

"Your Highness," Drago says, not turning, "Why are you here?"

"We have made a plan, and Libra has provided great assistance," the new FM-ian says.

It definitely looks different from Cepheus, and its air radiates both gentleness and firmness.

"Like a true king," Omega-Xis says, "I've never met him myself, but my guess is that he was a better king than Cepheus..."

"Yeah," I say sadly, "If he was king during Geo Stelar's time, none of this would've happened...right?"

"I would still be on AM, if that's what you mean," Omega-Xis says.

The FM-ian pulls out a familiar flower and says, "Libra told me that this could put the beast to sleep. I came to both test this theory and end the destruction of 40-Incognito."

"And what'll we do with him?" Drago says, pointing to Saggitarius.

"We will discuss it later, when we are at FM," the King says, "but for now we need to focus on putting Saggitarius to sleep."

The FM King swoops down and dangles the flower in front of Saggitarius.

Saggitarius merely stares for a moment, but soon a sleepy look crosses his face.

_Perhaps...it is time for me to stop. Stop killing, stop murdering...and sleep._

Saggitarius lies down on the ground and begins purring, but the purring is short-lived.

"By the first FM King," Drago says with wide eyes, "It actually worked. Who did you say the FM-ian was? Libra?"

The FM King nods and says, "He found this flower near a dying human, and learned that it was called the Tinmio Burigo in their language. Unfortunately, this might be the last of these flowers on this planet..."

"We'll destroy Saggitarius before we need that again," Drago says smugly.

---------------------------------------------

Looks like the truth about Saggitarius' change is revealed!


	24. Chapter 22

The memory changes to the court of FM.

There are loads of FM-ians here, but the FM King is at the front of the crowd.

The FM-ians are all staring at Saggitarius, who's in the middle of the room in some sphere-thing.

"Is this where they decide to keep Saggitarius?" I whisper, despite the fact that nobody else can hear me.

"Yeah," Omega-Xis replies.

"Hear hear!" the FM King says, "We need to decide what to do with our comrade, Saggitarius."

Whispers float about the room.

"There's some missing," I point out, "Where's Gemini and Lyra?"

"Some of us came later," Omega-Xis says, "There are some FM-ians with the same ability as Drago, who use humans to spawn new FM-ians when one of them is deleted. Drago just didn't have that assignment, I guess."

"Destroy him!" Drago shouts.

A few others mumble their agreements.

"I knew that destroying Saggitarius would be your answer, Drago," the FM King says calmly, "but I called everyone together, not just you. All in agreement of destroying Saggitarius, say 'I'."

"I," a few voices ring.

"Now, I have also considered an alternate option," the FM King says, "Consider this, friends: what if we end up with the same situation, and nothing to counter it? That's where Saggitarius comes in. I noticed how Saggitarius only attacked EM wave humans, but avoided the normal humans. This 'Primal Forme', as I call it, seems to think humans mean it no harm."

Whispers again.

One FM-ian steps up and says, "Your Highness, I agree utterly with that plan, but I must add something more: if, persay, a planet is terribly dangerous, we can awaken Saggitarius-"

"I considered that as well, Deimos," the FM King says, "but that is only if we cannot communicate with the beings there and if we are attacked. Saggitarius should be used only in an emergency, if this choice is carried out."

Deimos returns to the crowd, staying near an FM-ian similar to himself.

"I will entrust one of you to take the plant that put Saggitarius to sleep," the FM King continues, "and that is where Phobos and Deimos come in."

"Us?" the FM-ian who I assume is Phobos says.

"Yes," the FM King says, "Both of you will decide on one FM-ian to take the plant somewhere else, preferably somewhere with humans and a place where we have not been."

The door opens and a new FM-ian steps into the room.

"Your Highness, I beg your pardon," the new FM-ian says, "I know where we can hide the Tinmio Burigo."

_The EM waves...they are intense here...yet this new FM-ian that just came in...she radiates less waves._

Phobos and Deimos begin muttering to each other before Phobos goes over to the new FM-ian.

"What is your name, child?" he says.

"Gypsy," the FM-ian says, "You could say that I am one of the 'just-born'."

"Are you sure that you know such a place?" Phobos presses, "No FM-ian has gone and where humans live?"

"Many," Gypsy says, "except they will take millions of years to evolve. The plant, too, might evolve during the millions of years."

"Which one is closest to their final human form?" Deimos asks, adding, "Like the humans on 40-Incognito."

"I know one, but it will take years, perhaps the millions that it would take for the other planets to evolve," Gypsy answers, "but I would prefer to let the plant evolve along with the humans."

_Let me awaken...and destroy Drago. That's all I ask...make him pay._

"All right," the FM King says, "Before you decide, Phobos and Deimos, I would like to ask: do we want to wait for an emergency to use Saggitarius?"

"Yes!" nearly all the FM-ians say.

"We will choose Gypsy to hide the Tinmio Burigo, Your Highness," Deimos says.

"Then you may go, Gypsy," the FM King says, "and return whenever you feel like it."

"Yes, my lord," Gypsy says, leaving the room as suddenly as she came.

The memory changes into darkness.

"Hey!" I shout.

"What happened?" Omega-Xis says.

_Saggitarius?_

"Huh?" I say, blinking.

_Who are you?_

_We are..._

"I couldn't hear that last part," Omega-Xis says, "Saggitarius must've purposely avoided letting us hear that."

_Where is that? This..._

_Very close, really. But we need you, Saggitarius and Ikonu._

_You know the boy, too?_

_Yes. We know of your situation, as well as what you are truly here for._

_Hmph. I was placed here because the FM King didn't want to discard my services. That's all I'm here for._

_Do you truly believe that?_

_...I get your point. What do you want us for?_

_We need you to fulfill your destiny._

_Sure, if I knew what it was._

_Do you know what year it is?_

_Ikonu's been keeping track...it's 200x, around that time, anyway._

_Correct._

"200x?" I say, "That was four hundred years ago!"

_Two hundred years from now, a danger to another planet will appear._

_And what's that? Me? Some other "Primal"?_

_No. We hope that we will not have to call on you, but if we do, we will call on you four hundred years from now._

_Not bad, considering I was stuck here for about ten, twenty thousand years._

_You do know that if our plan succeeds two hundred years from now, you'd be called on much later?_

_So?_

_Four hundred years from now, when we call on you, there will be a girl._

_A girl? Some human girl?_

_Yes. If and when we call you, you will have to take the girl to a certain location. As it is, the Earth is constantly changing..._

_Earth? I've heard of that place. FM-ians mention it once or twice, and it might be the goal of their next conquest._

_Yes. We will give you the details as soon as the girl is "born". For now, we will have to wait._

_I understand, and Ikonu does too._

_Good. We will see you in less than four hundred years._

------------------------------------------

Who is the mysterious contact that Saggitarius is talking to? I have a plan for that in the future, but when you find out, it'll shock you to the bone!


	25. Chapter 23

"So it was her," I spit, "Gypsy...you really were the one I thought couldn't simply come back."

I'm following Saggitarius, and so far, they haven't stopped since Saggitarius fed Layla his own blood.

_And it looks like Delilah finally stopped bugging me._

Layla's eyes open, a sleepy trance still in her green eyes.

My own eyes narrow as I'm reminded of the first human I ever took over.

_Akina...the one whose memories live on...in me...and her._

"Saggitarius?" Layla says softly, "Where are we?"

There's a pause before she smiles and says, "Okay. So we're right on schedule, right?"

_Impossible! Saggitarius can communicate with the girl?_

Another pause ensues before Layla says, "That's good."

I stop and watch as Saggitarius runs.

_This is a good time to become physical and tail them...and I'll be able to stop them both._

I leap off the Wave Road, landing on a thick tree branch.

I notice Saggitarius stopping in his tracks.

"Huh?" Layla says.

_Come to me, Saggitarius...and let me destroy you._

Saggitarius looks from the girl to my location, but finally shrugs and begins running again.

_You...you...you stupid animal! You deliberately ignored me to where you'd keep MegaGirl alive...for whatever reason you have._

With a sigh, I land on the ground and begin following the footprints that Saggitarius left in his wake.

_His act might've changed...but his walk never did._

I look around as I walk, noticing the environment.

It's very, very green, compared to the last day on 40-Incognito.

_That day was completely red...but why would Saggitarius change? You'd think he fell in love with the bloody girl or something..._

I freeze as my mind clicks.

_It's possible. But at first sight? Crazy. But...why steal her? He obviously thinks she won't harm him...but why would he steal her in the first place?_

I shake my head and continue walking.

_Besides, why would I worry about the girl? She's nothing to me, unless I can force her and that AM-ian out...but...there's something I need to try, for my human immortality project...I wonder?_

My slow walk speeds up, becoming more like a brisk jog.

_What if I tried fusing with her while she's MegaGirl? FM-ian plus AM-ian plus human...three different beings, all fighting for one body._

A memory flickers in my head, one that isn't mine.

_Scratch that. Four beings: human, FM-ian, AM-ian, and Primal. Quite a dilemma, but I'm sure to end up on top._

"Ah! Drago!" a voice says.

I freeze again and look around.

Finally, I notice two FM-ians on the Wave Road.

"Oh. You two," I say, waving Delilah's hand dismissively.

The two FM-ians, at a closer look, are fused with humans, one with a boy and one with a girl.

The two leap off the Wave Road and land in front of me.

"How are you doing?" the female asks.

"Lemme guess," I say, "Phobos and Deimos. Geez, are you two seriously that dense?"

"Because of what?" the male asks, "And yes. We're Phobos and Deimos. I'm Deimos..."

"And I'm Phobos!" the female says.

I sigh and say, "Who's side are you on?"

"Whatever side's hunting down Saggitarius," Phobos says, "We know which flower is descended from the Tinmio Burigo that Gypsy took off with so long ago..."

"...And we also know what provokes the girl's Primal Forme and the Forme's weakness," Deimos finishes.

I find myself grinning as I say, "Come with me, then. Don't fail me, you two...otherwise your humans will be need to be more afraid of me than of Saggitarius."

---------------------------------------

Two more FM-ians! Phobos and Deimos- Fear and Panic. Since they know about Layla's Primal trigger and weakness, Layla had better watch out!


	26. Chapter 24

"Night, Eric," Whitney says, "Lee will stay at my house tonight."

Lee nods.

"Yeah, see you," I say.

_This is quite a dilemma. First we have Delilah's spirit talking to you, then we have to worry about Saggitarius...not to mention finding Drago again._

We part ways before I mutter, "Yeah. If only...if only we knew why Saggitarius was kidnapping Layla."

"I don't know either," Delilah's voice says, causing me to nearly trip until I remember that she had nowhere else to go.

"Miss Crown, please don't scare me like that," I say sheepishly.

"I'm sorry I got us into this mess," Delilah says sadly, "but my own ambitions...they were the death of me."

"Don't say that!" I hiss, "You're not dead yet!"

"But I will be," Delilah says, "Drago plans on destroying Saggitarius...and most likely Saggitarius will destroy my body, with Drago still inside...I might as well prepare to ascend to FM once more, since I will no longer be human..."

"There has got to be someone who can return you to your body," I say, "Wolf? Any idea?"

_None of the FM-ians I know has that sort of power...but I was born later, so that would mean..._

"That there must be someone from a long time ago who does have that power," I say.

_Not exactly. A possibility, maybe, but I'm not sure._

"I could transform," I say, "Then we can-"

"Drago is after them," Delilah says, "I know it."

"How?" I ask.

"It's my body, I know where it is and what it's doing," Delilah says, "That's how I also know I'm still alive."

_Then we'll chase Drago and confront him!_

"Wolf said we should confront him," I say.

"Drago has sources and companions," Delilah says, "but I suggest we put that plan into action when...hang on. Look over at that house to your right, the one with the green mailbox."

I obey.

The house is a two-story house, not very remarkable, but it's the mailbox that catches my eye.

"This is Miss Woods' house," I say.

"And Layla's last name is Layla Woods," Delilah says.

I look at the second floor windows.

"The lights are on," I say, "Should we check?"

"Of course we should check!" Delilah snaps.

_Same old Crown Lily, even if her FM-ian is missing..._

I run over and knock on the door.

The door opens to reveal someone I- rather, _Wolf_- knows personally.

"Aquarius!" I say, blinking.

Aquarius says nothing for a moment before saying, "Who might you be?"

"Oh. Yeah," I say, then explain my involvement.

"Come in," Aquarius says, "Thalia and Michael will want to hear whatever you've found."

I enter, and notice a boy and a girl simply sitting on a couch.

"Where's Mrs. Woods?" I ask.

"We told her to take a date with her husband," the boy says with a small smile.

"Thalia, Michael, meet Eric Roswell, Wolf's newest human," Aquarius says.

"Hi!" the girl says, "I'm Thalia, Gemini's human. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Michael, Libra's human," the boy says, "but I think you know that already."

I nod. Wolf had shown me memories of the "choosing".

"So, why are you here?" Thalia asks.

"I...well, I can hear Delilah's voice," I say, feeling embarrassed.

Aquarius nods and says, "A rare experience, but yes, it has happened. I've had personal experience with that sort of thing."

"And I was making a plan," I say, "To attack Drago and get Delilah back into her body."

Thalia and Michael begin whispering to each other.

"Hm?" Aquarius says, "What is it?"

Thalia and Michael stop whispering.

"There are few FM-ians who can return a human to their body," Michael explains, "but there are such things. Libra believes that the FM-ian known as Gypsy has that power."

"I don't know Gypsy, though," Thalia says with a frown, "Everyone older than Gemini says that Gypsy disappeared to hide the plant that put Saggitarius to sleep, but she never returned."

"Until recently," Aquarius reminds them, "Andromeda is postponed until MegaGirl and I are captured or killed, whichever suits the other FM-ians."

The lights flicker slightly.

"Hm?" Aquarius murmurs, "Could it be...?"

The TV turns on to reveal Aries.

"About time I found you," Aries pants, "I've looked all over Earth for the past day or so, but now I'm sure. Phobos and Deimos have disappeared."

"Goodness," Aquarius says, "Phobos and Deimos are two of the FM-ians who are 'related' to each other. They should know the plant that grew from the plant that put Saggitarius to sleep."

"I also ran into Gypsy on the way here," Aries says, "She said that she knows where Saggitarius is going."

"What!" I stammer.

"There's no more time to delay," Aries continues, "You have to gather every ally you know and stop Drago and his group from destroying Saggitarius and MegaGirl."


	27. Chapter 25

My TR rings loudly as my eyes fly open.

"Who'd be calling this late?" Lyra says as I turn my TR on.

I mumble a reply as I check the number.

_Eric._

"Lee, wake up," I say, shaking Lee awake.

"Hmmmph," Lee grunts.

"Eric's got something to tell us," I say.

Lee sits up and says, "Eric?"

"Yeah," I say, answering the call.

Eric's face fills the screen.

"What is up with you waking us up in the middle of the night?" I say.

"Aries said that we have to gather every ally," Eric says, "We're going to war."

"War?" Lee says.

"Yeah," Eric says, "Against Planet FM itself and Drago."

"You're crazy," I snap, "We don't have enough to face-"

"We do," Eric insists, "Taurus has been gathering FM-ians who only want peace, and they'll be coming down sooner or later. Aquarius is here-"

"Is he okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," Eric says, "We have Gemini and Libra, along with their humans, we have an FM-ian called Gypsy...and there's us."

"But that's not enough," I say, "What about Layla and Saggitarius?"

"That's why you're here," Eric says, "We need to warn them about the war and escort them to where they're going. Drago's still tailing them, and he's got friends, too."

"Who?" Lee says, "Who might Drago be allied to?"

"Phobos and Deimos, for the time being," Eric says, "but I'll go too. The FM-ians who want to activate Andromeda are going to hunt for MegaGirl and Aquarius, so we'll launch our own little army to go with Saggitarius, since that's the best we can do."

"You sure Saggitarius won't mind?" I ask.

"This is the only way," Eric says.

"No, it's not!" I counter, "We can't just have a whole army following Saggitarius. We need another plan, a different battlefield. One or two of us can follow Saggitarius, while the others can find a suitable battlefield. Three, tops, if we want to match Drago."

Eric mulls it over before saying, "All right. Whitney, you and Lee will take Aquarius with you, just in case, then the rest of us will warn the town."

"They'll think you're crazy," I say.

"Not if we go into our EM wave forms," Eric replies, "but I'm sure that Petra won't mind getting taken over by Taurus again once the explanation spreads."

"Don't mention us," Lee warns, "People will go after Saggitarius if they know about him."

"Yeah," Eric says, "but some will end up going to the other FM-ians. Remember that."

"Of course we will," I snap, "Cygnus will want his own human, considering that he used one before."

"He can just as easily use the memory of that form to change," Eric says, "That's what Thalia said."

"Then let's get to work," Lee says.

-------------------------------

Roar! Time for a war over Earth!


	28. Chapter 26

The girl's been silent for quite a while.

Once in a while, she shifts to make herself comfortable, but she doesn't speak.

Not even the loudmouth AM-ian speaks; it seems just as absorbed as she is.

_But in what?_

I stop near a tree and look around.

The coast is clear.

I close my eyes and sniff the air.

_Very close. It appears as though our guides want to meet us halfway._

"Are you okay?"

I open my eyes and look at the girl.

Her expression is contorted into an expression of slight fear.

_Fear of Drago, no doubt._

I reply with a feeling of confirmation; I needed no concern from a human such as her.

The girl nods and silences.

I'm about to begin running some more when a voice calls, "About time you stopped."

I look around, and I notice the girl's eyes are widened with genuine fear.

I growl.

"I don't like playing mind games, you know," the voice continues, "so I won't leave you guessing..."

Drago appears in front of us, his human form intact.

I set the girl on her feet and snarl at Drago.

"Looks like I get to destroy you both at the same time," Drago says, his human's mouth curling into a sneer.

"That won't happen, Drago," the girl says, angrily, "We've seen what happened to 40-Incognito. We'll delete you and end your bid for immortality."

Drago stares at the girl for a short moment, then laughs.

"Ha ha ha!" Drago laughs, "Are you serious? Why, I can see the fear in your eyes, my dear MegaGirl! And the Andromeda Key...where is that, pray tell?"

The girl places a hand over her heart, but says nothing.

Another moment passes before Drago says quietly, "You entrusted your human with the Andromeda Key, Omega-Xis? Are you crazy?"

"Nah," the AM-ian says, speaking for the first time in a while, "We just have a bond with each other. That, and I had an errand to do."

"So you let her babysit the Key?" Drago huffs, "Didn't you consider taking it back?"

"Nope!" the AM-ian says, "Just slipped my mind!"

"Ergh! And we don't know how to activate Andromeda using a human with the Key!" Drago snarls, "And here I thought the simple task of destroying Earth while sneaking a human would be easy."

"Never think of anything as simple, Drago," the AM-ian says, "That's a common but serious mistake."

The girl looks at me, but I am focused on Drago.

_So you've returned, and with the same weak human I nearly killed..._

"Hmph," Drago huffs, "You're nothing more than a tool in my goal. If I really wanted to, I could take you to Cygnus and we could end this...scuffle."

"Puh-leeze," the AM-ian says, "Like I really want to fight Cygnus again. Do you realize that we're gambling a lot? So much, in fact, that we're sticking with Saggitarius?"

"And what are you gambling? Your lives?" Drago purrs, "Because I can tell you right now, you've lost the bet. I can tell that much since I've had...experience."

"What? You had a gambler?" the girl says, turning to look at Drago.

"Well, yes, but I meant it as a figure of speech," Drago says, "But, that is not the point. _The point is_, Omega-Xis, you're in this with a human girl you've known for a mere week or so, and you, Layla, you're here with a being who stole the Andromeda Key. In other words, your chances of survival are slim."

"So?" the girl says softly, "You've been after humans for the mere feeling of power. Your humans died moments after they fused with you, at least judging from 40-Incognito. I'll bet that you haven't even gone Primal with a single one. Who are you to say that we aren't going to live?"

Drago shuffles his human's feminine feet as he says, "So you dare insult me, one of the oldest FM-ians known to the universe?"

"It's quite easy, since you're in Delilah Crown's body," the girl says, still quietly and with a small smile.

"And this girl is supposed to intimidate you!" Drago says, "After all, she _is_ a rich young girl, with a large inheritance."

"Drago," the girl says, "I look upon Delilah...with respect."

"_Respect_," Drago spits, "and that's supposed to make you flinch, Layla."

"But look!" the girl says, loudly, "Do I look like I'm flinching?"

Drago shakes his human's head, then says, "Then what _do_ you mean?"

"Delilah was the one who initiated my Primal Forme, with Ophiuca Avenger's help," the girl says, her tone softening, "and she transferred to our school. We fought twice, talked casually once, but I know this: I feel nothing but respect for Delilah. She might be respected in my mind...but...but _you_, Drago, have taken her body by force..."

The girl glares at Drago as she finishes with, "And proved yourself to be everything that Delilah isn't!"

"And what is she, but a mere _humanoid_, pray tell?" Drago says, his voice dissolving into a hiss.

"She is brave," the girl says, "and she knows where to place her bets. Without her, Michael wouldn't have become Libra's host."

"And _why_ do you think I'm laughable in this body?" Drago says, taking a step closer.

"Because," the girl says with a shrug, "you just seem so...so _uncomfortable_ in that body...like there was a body that fit you perfectly, but you got rid of it a long, long time ago."

--------------------------------------

Gasp! For some reason, Layla is acting as though Drago isn't a force to contend with!


	29. Chapter 27

"Because you just seem so...so _uncomfortable_ in that body...like there was a body that fit you perfectly, but you got rid of it a long, long time ago."

Those words cause old memories to flash before my eyes.

"So?" I snap, "Does that have anything to do with it?"

Layla nods gravely and says, her voice still low, "It has everything to do with it, Drago. You have to earn the respect of a human before they can willingly go through with things...but every human hasn't had a word in your schemes...to you, they were experiments, vehicles for a being who only wanted to live forever in their body...Drago, Saggitarius _suffered _because of you. You ruined Akina...you're going to ruin Delilah the same way."

"Shut up about Akina!" I snap furiously, "She has nothing to do with this!"

"Actually," Phobos' ridiculously girly voice says from behind me, "she has everything to do with this."

I turn around and hiss, "How? Are you thinking that she really is-"

Phobos nods and says, "Exactly the one."

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Layla glancing nervously at me and Phobos.

Saggitarius does nothing. It's as though he's waiting for something.

"So you think you're going to ignore me while you confer?" Layla says.

I smirk and pretend I couldn't hear her.

_Her human screams will be the last I hear of her..._

However, it's when I notice her fists clenching that I begin to worry.

"Phobos," I murmur, "I hope you and your brother are telling the truth about finding the weakness to MegaGirl's Primal Forme..."

"I assure you, Drago," Phobos replies softly, "She will be in and out of Primal Forme before your body comes to harm."

"Drago! Answer me!" Layla shouts, her voice powerful.

I turn to her and say, "It was merely a moment, MegaGirl. Honestly, can't a person get confirmation-"

"Confirmation...of what?" Layla says, her temper simmering at least.

"A certain FM-ian-" I begin.

"Who?" Layla snaps.

"Why should I tell you?" I say, grinning.

Layla's face darkens as she says, "No matter. As I was saying, before this, Saggitarius' human suffered because of you. Saggitarius had hope for 40-Incognito, he hoped for _peace_. He was doing fine with his human when you had to go and take Akina-"

"Enough about Akina, I said!" I snap, but my words are drowned as Layla continues, obviously on a roll.

"And try to turn her against Ikonu, which that part succeeded!" Layla says, "Then you had to try and stop Ikonu, but you decided to destroy 40-Incognito using every last human there was, trying to destroy them both, because Saggitarius merely became the first EM wave human. How dare you, you shouldn't..."

This is where things went awry.

Layla's words began slurring into one another, sounding more like, "Youshouldn'tliveyoushould'vebeendeletedalongtimeago..."

Saggitarius watched with mild curiousity, but something tells me that this was something I knew.

However, the words soon changed, turning into, "Iwillfeastonyourfleshkillyoumutilateyou..."

"Phobos!" I snap, "You ought to-"

"I'm hurrying!" Phobos wails, looking to find whatever Layla's Primal weakness was...

_No! It'll be too late, knowing her and her Primal Forme..._

I search through Crown Lily's memory and find, to my dismay, that she barely had any experience with Layla's Primal Forme.

Layla soon begins the transformation, as Phobos still searches.

"No! Deimos must have it!" Phobos cried.

"Then we're dead," I say, "We'll be killed by the one we thought we would kill."


	30. Chapter 28

_No!_

Primal Forme soon overtakes us, our control not even close to learned since our first transformation.

_Too late._

_Mega?_

_Looks like our control's easier. Slightly._

_But how?_

_Do I look like I know?_

I look around, my eyes taking in the scene.

_Perfect, something to eat haven't had anything to eat in so long..._

My eyes rest on Saggitarius.

_Primals aren't supposed to harm each other, right?_

_That's what Aquarius and the others said. Let's hope they're right._

I lumber over to Saggitarius and sidle up near him.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," a voice says.

It takes me a moment to realize that Saggitarius spoke.

The other two- Drago and Phobos- don't seem to react.

_It's in Primal language._

_Thanks, genius, I just figured that out._

"Let me tear them apart," I growl against my will, "They deserve to die..."

"No," Saggitarius replies.

"But why?" I whimper, "Can't you see that they are our worst enemies?"

"Drago is my worst enemy," Saggitarius says, "but you, little one, need to control your appetite, and also your temper."

"I'm not the one like this forever," I counter.

By now, Phobos seems to look shocked, while Drago watches us.

"My goal is to bring you to my guides, not to fight Drago and his friends," Saggitarius growls, "Let's go."

Saggitarius turns and begins lumbering away.

I snarl at Drago and Phobos, giving them the warning that it wasn't over.

_Then_ I follow Saggitarius.

"Good," Saggitarius growls, "That should help."

"You're my pack leader," I reply with a purr, "I can't stay and fight two-on-one. Last time I did that, I was imprisoned once more."

"'Imprisoned'?" Saggitarius says, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," I hiss.

"Such a word, child, to describe your life inside your human/AM-ian pair," Saggitarius says, speeding up, "Believe me, I have seen your human capable of pity. _Pity_, for FM's sake. Your AM-ian is probably capable of the same."

"I don't need bloody pity," I snap, catching up, "My human never did anything for me. She was afraid of me, that much I could tell. She didn't even ask about me. _Me_, the central part of her."

"Is that why you tried to eat her friend?" Saggitarius says.

"Who? The music-player?" I say, "Partly. The other was that I was hungry. How do you know about that incident, pack leader?"

"First of all," Saggitarius says, "We are not in a pack. Secondly, I saw your memories while your human was peeking in mine."

"You both are snoops," I purr.

"What, and you think my snooping is better than hers?" Saggitarius asks.

"You were concerned for me, when she wasn't," I purr.

_Not true!_

_Wow, Layla, just when I thought Petra was your worst enemy._

_Shut up._

_Nope!_

I- rather, _we_- notice a city in the horizon.

"She was plenty concerned about a lot of things," Saggitarius says, "Recently, I was her primary concern. She tried asking me who I truly was...I merely allowed her into my memories."

"You don't allow just anyone into your bloody memories," I- my Primal Forme- hisses, "She isn't even worthy!"

"Is that so?" Saggitarius asks.

Primal Forme causes my head to nod rapidly.

"You are quite different from her," Saggitarius notes, "She actually stayed with me this entire time. You weren't even there."

"I would have too," Primal sniffs.

"I gave her many chances to run," Saggitarius says, "She could've just told me that she didn't want to go, but she didn't say it, so I continued on. Later, she willingly allowed me to take her."

_Wow. He did give us a few chances._

_Duh. We could've taken the first one, but noooo...you just had to give into fear..._

Saggitarius stops.

I stop as well, wondering why we were freezing into place.

"Friend or prey?" Primal asks.

"Foe," Saggitarius says, "Deimos. I sense him."

----------------------------------

Layla is in Primal Forme for only the second time, and it seems as though Saggitarius doesn't tolerate her Primal "personality".


	31. Chapter 29

"Good to see you're all right," Aquarius says when we meet at the wavehole.

"We were worried about you," I say.

"I wasn't!" Lee snaps.

"Of course you weren't, Lee, otherwise I wouldn't have thrown that bomb at you," Aquarius says cheerfully.

I sigh and say, "EM Wave Change! Whitney Makina, On! The! Air!"

"Denpa-Henkan! Lee Furukoni, On Air!" Lee shouts.

We both are on the Wave Road a few seconds later.

"'Denpa-Henkan'?" I say.

"You have 'EM Wave Change', we have Denpa-Henkan," Lee says, "Deal with it."

"Good to see you're still the same, Ophiuca," a voice says.

"Did you say that?" I ask Aquarius.

Aquarius shakes his head.

There's a shimmering of light before we find our newest ally.

"I am Gypsy," the FM-ian says, "I came to help."

"Four-on-three isn't quite fair," Lee protests.

"Actually, I can take on them by myself if needed," Gypsy says, "but that is not my purpose. My purpose for now is to free the human Drago has from his grasp."

"So you do have that power," Aquarius says.

"Yes," Gypsy says, "and I owe Drago for what he did to me."

"For...what he did?" I ask.

"Not now," Gypsy says, "MegaGirl needs to know the truth more than you do...as well as Saggitarius."

For a slight moment, a look of sadness crosses Gypsy's face.

_Was I seeing things?_

"Let's go," Lee says, getting a head start on the Wave Road.

------------------------------------------------------

After what feels like hours later, we find footprints of two Primal Formes.

"Oh no," I whisper, "Layla was provoked."

"They couldn't have gone far," Gypsy says, "Look!"

Gypsy points ahead, and I notice Layla's Primal Forme near Saggitarius. The two are facing down a new EM Wave Human.

"Deimos," Gypsy says, "He must be here with Phobos."

"Whitney," Aquarius says, looking at me, "Don't go down there. Remember last time?"

I nod sadly.

"Last- oh, that," Lee says dismissively.

"Tell us the truth, Gypsy, before we go down there," I say.

Gypsy sighs and says, "My story is a long one. Are you sure?"

I nod.

"The story begins," Gypsy says, "on a planet the FM-ians called 40-Incognito. I used to call it Teruikonela and 'home'. I was a human princess, destined to marry someone...I was having trouble, until one day, someone suggested Ikonu-Witoro. I didn't know it at the time, but that day was also the day that Ikonu met an FM-ian...named Saggitarius."

Lee gasps.

"Later that day, I met Ikonu for the first time. He handed me my favorite flower," Gypsy says, "the Tinmio Burigo. We got married and lived for a few years before...before Drago took my body. He tried to make me unfaithful to Ikonu, but ended up lying to Ikonu. I tried to take control again, but Drago wanted his plan to be flawless; I was forced to watch as Drago, in my body, lied and said I never loved him."

I look at Lee and notice that her eyes are tearless, but her expression is filled with shock.

"Saggitarius swore that he would make Drago pay...the last words either of them spoke in an understandable language," Gypsy says, "Then a bright light consumed them, and then...they were Primal. He ripped my head off, freeing me from Drago and placing me in a new prison: life as an FM-ian. There was one last chance, though."

"A chance?" I ask, "When your human head was ripped off?"

"I knew that I couldn't use my own body," Gypsy says, "but soon, Saggitarius merely scratched a human on the chest and left him to bleed to death. Drago knew the human was useless now, so I had a chance to possess the human and tell whoever came of the one thing that could stop Saggitarius...and the first FM-ian who came was Libra."

"I get it now," Aquarius says, "You took quite a gamble to try and stop Saggitarius from destroying the world."

"By the time Saggitarius was stopped," Gypsy says, "There were only children left on Teruikonela, as Drago didn't see children as strong enough...and his wave frequency was too powerful, as he killed a child by trying to fuse with it. I headed to FM, took the Tinmio Burigo, and hid it, then I helped revive Teruikonela using the children."

"That's why you didn't show up," I say, the truth dawning on me, "At least, until now."

Gypsy nods and says, "Yes. Everyone on FM forgot about Teruikonela, other than the fact that Saggitarius ravaged the planet. Nobody thought to return...until one day."

Gypsy turns to Aquarius and says, "You asked for the location of my body, seeking to clone it and fuse its genes with a boy named Geo Stelar's. You hoped that, if it worked, your apprentice would be able to use the clone and stop Andromeda."

Aquarius nods and says, "Yes. I know you, Gypsy, but I never knew that you were involved with Drago."

"You knew," Gypsy says, "but I'm guessing not this much."

"So you two know each other?" Lee asks.

Aquarius and Gypsy nod.

"I met Gypsy on an expedition," Aquarius says, "To make a clone, you need two types of genes: a mother and a father, like any normal human. I had a father, Geo Stelar, but I needed a woman's genes to make it complete. That's when I stopped at 40-Incognito."

"Aquarius asked me where a female's body was," Gypsy says, "He also said, and I quote, 'Preferably dead, if you please'."

"Then she took me to a tomb," Aquarius says, "She said, and _I_quote, 'Take your pick. This is the female section of the tomb'. So I browsed until I came upon Akina-Wokumu, a princess who'd married a 'tuleo' seller. Gypsy added that this was the wife of Saggitarius' human. I decided on this human, saying, 'This is just the one I need. Cygnus and the others won't suspect that Saggitarius' wife's genes was added to a clone'."

"That was about a century ago," Gypsy says, "Aquarius suspected that something might happen to the original clones, so he came to Teruikonela."

I look over at Layla's Primal Forme.

It was snarling at Deimos, but something prevented her from going closer.

"I'm going in," I say.

"You're kidding!" Lee says, eyes widening.

"I have to," I say, "For Layla."

-------------------------------------

More truth is revealed! Turns out, for slow readers, that Layla is a product of both Akina and Geo Stelar!


	32. Chapter 30

The girl's Primal Forme notices the EM wave human first.

"Her," the girl says, running away from me to the EM wave human.

_The girl's still not in control. I'm going to need our guides for this, otherwise…_

Deimos gives the girl leeway to pass him, leaving him with me.

"Saggitarius," Deimos says, "Luckily, your friend will be re-formed, but that is another issue. You want to know her weakness? Music. More specifically, music from an EM wave human. That's how MegaGirl's Primal Forme was defeated."

I snarl and try to move past him, but he responds with a barrier.

_My guides, if you three can hear me, we need your help…_

_We were coming already, Saggitarius. Be patient._

With that, I grin.

To a human, who knows what my grin looks like? That of a monster about to eat their bodies? Something not even a mother could love?

Either way, I grinned.

Deimos takes a step backwards and says, "I'm warning you, I can put you to sleep again. I really can."

I howl, causing the girl's Primal Forme to freeze in her tracks.

"What are you doing?" the girl's Primal Forme hisses, "I'm about to-"

She's cut off by a lovely melody playing near her.

The girl's Primal Forme runs to the EM wave human and swipes the guitar out of its hands.

"No more," the girl's Primal Forme says.

"Pulsing out," the EM wave human says.

The EM wave human transforms into a human girl with red hair and black clothing.

The girl's Primal Forme ignores the transformation and instead begins walking towards Deimos.

"Ah, now you come, MegaGirl," Deimos says, pulling out what looks like a flute.

The girl's Primal Forme snarls, but continues lumbering.

Deimos lifts the flute to his mouth and begins playing, although the squeaks and squawks from the flute are nothing compared to the guitarist's melody.

The girl's Primal Forme stops and places her hands on her ears, yowling.

The racket causes me to place my hands over my ears, because it's that painful.

The guitarist walks over to Deimos and gives him a swift kick at the leg, causing him to fall and drop the flute.

"Ergh! The flute!" Deimos cries.

The guitarist picks up the flute and snaps it in half.

"That should teach you to skip classes," the guitarist says, throwing away the pieces.

"You ruined my plan!" Deimos screeches, trying to stand up and failing.

"Layla's my friend, and Saggitarius is an ally," the guitarist says, "You were trying to hurt them, and I assume that you're a bad guy, so I had to."

I turn to the girl's Primal Forme.

She's looking around for any more EM wave humans.

_It seems as though Drago has disappeared._

"Saggitarius," a voice calls.

We all turn to the sound.

_My guides._

"I'm right here," I say, although to a human it more sounds like, "Rrrrr rrrr."

Three EM wave beings appear.

The first is a green dragon.

The second is a red lion.

The third is a blue pegasus.

Each of them wear armor that's similar in color.

"Layla Woods," the dragon says, "Come."

The girl looks at me.

I nod.

The girl walks over to the three.

There's a bright light.

When it clears, the girl is out of Primal Forme.

"Whitney Makina," the lion says, "You may return to your EM wave form."

"There's no wavehole," the guitarist says.

The pegasus unleashes a bright light, causing the guitarist to return to her EM wave form.

"So I thought," the AM-ian comments, "The Sages of AM."

--------------------------------------

Yeah, lemme guess: "Whaaaaat? You did three stories on MegaGirl, and you only just get to the three Sages?" Truth was, I planned for the Sages to show up sooner or later, but the opprotunity never showed until now.


	33. Chapter 31

"Who are you?" I say, my legs weak from the transformation, "Other than the Sages of AM."

"I am Fire Leo," the lion says.

"I am Pegasus Magic," the pegasus says.

"And I am Dragon Sky," the dragon says.

I turn to Saggitarius and say, "So they were the ones you were bringing us to, right?"

"Correct," Pegasus Magic says.

"So you're here to give us the Star Force again!" Omega-Xis says gleefully.

"You're going to need to go through the Star Trials again," Fire Leo says.

"Star Trials?" I ask.

"Yes," Dragon Sky says, "You see that city over yonder?"

I nod. I'd seen the city.

"There, you will find a wavehole," Dragon continues, "When you are on the Wave Road, you will find five different tests. Omega-Xis knows what they look like."

"Yup," Omega-Xis says, "So what about Drago? Is he on this too?"

"We will explain later," Leo says, "but when you complete the tests, you will go to the highest point in the city, via Wave Road."

"Uh…okay," I say, "What about Whitney?"

"Whitney will protect you from any threats to the Trials, but she cannot help you with the Star Trials," Pegasus says, "Deimos, arise, please."

Deimos manages to stand up, panting.

"Drago is back in Garden Wake," Pegasus says, "You will not interfere with the Star Trials either."

"Like I need to," Deimos snaps, "Andromeda will consume Earth, Star Force or not."

Deimos jumps onto the Wave Road and leaves.

"Saggitarius," Dragon says.

Saggitarius nods.

"You will come to the highest point," Pegasus says, "We need to talk about a few things."

_Like what?_

Saggitarius nods again and begins walking towards the city.

"Will anyone notice?" Whitney asks.

"No," Leo says, "Saggitarius was confined in FM for a long time, allowing him access to the Wave Road."

"All right," Whitney says reluctantly.

"Wait," I say, "Saggitarius!"

The Primal Forme turns to me.

"Wish me luck!" I say, "I'll stop Andromeda!"

I almost thought that Saggitarius smiled before he nodded and turned away.

"We will wait for you," Dragon says.

The trio disappears.

"Guess that's settled," Whitney says.

"Yeah," I say, jumping on the Wave Road.

"Mega, what are the Star Trials?" Lyra asks.

"A test," Omega-Xis says, "We have to defeat groups of viruses and then collect Starlights. Once we have all five, we fight one of the Sages."

"You're crazy!" I say.

"Geo and I fought one. It was a piece of cake, but only because the Sage didn't go head-on," Omega-Xis says, "The Sage didn't even let out its full power, but it was still a good fight."

"So we still have to stay on our toes," I say.

"Yep," Omega-Xis says.

I notice Aquarius, Lee, and the FM-ian I saw from the memory.

"Gypsy?" I say, blinking.

"Long story," Whitney says, "I'll explain on the way."


	34. Chapter 32

I reach the highest point, and notice that the Sages haven't arrived yet.

I sit down at the edge of the Wave Road platform and look over the city.

It's a small city, made up of small buildings and tiny stores.

_Best to review my journey so far._

I mentally catalog each flaw of the journey.

_There's the fact that the girl was hungry, more often than not. I've survived without anything, but this planet is full of weaklings…_

_Then there's the whole Primal Forme thing. The girl's Primal Forme is seriously underinformed._

_Thirdly, I'm not sure this girl is even a normal human. Her scent is partly familiar, but the other part I don't recognize._

I nod to myself, commending myself for finding the first three errors of our trip.

_Fourthly, there's that look of concern that I can't get rid of. It's like a leech or something._

That thought causes me to once again see that look of concern on the girl's face.

_Ergh! Stop thinking about that!_

I focus my mind around the memory of when the Sages called me, when the girl was born…

_Saggitarius._

_So, I'm being called?_

_Yes._

_What is the danger? Can you tell me now?_

_It is called Andromeda. I'm sure you've heard of it._

_Oh yeah, I've heard of it. Cepheus mentioned it multiple times…before he died._

_Ah, you know of his death._

_Only by rumor. Died from some boy and from losing control of Andromeda._

_The girl is born._

_Her name? And who are the parents?_

_Her name is Layla. Layla Woods. Unfortunately, I don't think you're ready to hear the names of her real "parents". You see, she is a clone._

_Okay. Her adoptive parents?_

_Michelle and Marco Woods._

_Easier. Is the Earth changing still, or can you tell me where I need to take her when the time comes?_

_We can._

It was after a few more minutes, as they had told me where the girl was to be taken.

_Okay. I'll detect her easily, if she changes into Primal Forme by then._

_We don't know, Saggitarius._

_Call me again when she goes Primal for the first time, and then plant me in someone's head or something. You know I don't want to be pushed aside for Andromeda._

…_Will do._

I sigh and say aloud, "Then all this happened. By the first FM King, couldn't the girl have been a little older?"

"Omega-Xis was in quite the rush to find a human," a voice says from behind me.

I turn and say, "Oh. You're here."

Pegasus Magic nods and says, "Yes. I think you're about ready for the truth."

"What truth?" I ask warily.

"About Layla's clone heritage," Fire Leo says, "I'm sure you've forgotten, during this mad rush."

"I was just thinking about it," I say.

"Good," Dragon Sky says, "Then listen well, Saggitarius. Akina was the feminine DNA of Layla. The boy known as Geo Stelar was the masculine. Geo Stelar was the cause of Cepheus' death."

"Uh-huh," I say, "And?"

"You are quite the curious one," Pegasus Magic says, "But we soon learned that without a third piece of DNA, the clone would never be able to go Primal, and we needed that piece the most."

"Get to the point," I say.

"We took a strand of DNA from you and placed it into the clone," Dragon Sky says, "However…the girl might not be able to get the Star Force."

"What?" I say, standing up, "But she has to! We need her to get the Star Force to save Earth!"

"We said 'might not', not 'will not'," Fire Leo says.

"Still the same thing!" I snap.

"We thought it best to tell you before you egg on the girl too much," Dragon Sky says, "You need to be prepared for disappointment."

A light bulb lights in my head as I say, "Wait. Doesn't this mean that the girl is technically my child?"

"Yes and no," Pegasus says, "Yes, she is your child from the DNA, but no, she cannot acknowledge you as her father. You have only a sliver of your own DNA inside her body."

"Not true!" I say, "I fed her some of my own blood!"

There's a pause before Leo says, "You are willing to stake everything on Earth, Saggitarius. Is it because this place is almost like Teruikonela?"

I remain silent.

"We won't force you to answer that," Dragon says, "but we need to know something: what are your plans after this?"

"Go to some asteroid, mope until I die, die and get some well-deserved rest," I say, "In that order."

"We'll ask the girl if you can stay on Earth," Pegasus says, "but don't expect to go off and mope."

"Yeah. Whatever," I say.

--------------------------------

Plot twist! I know, I put a lot of twists in my stories, but it keeps things running!


	35. Chapter 33

We jump onto the Wave Road and begin searching for the first of the Star Trials.

"Omega-Xis?" Whitney says, "Are you sure that Layla will get the Star Force?"

"Yup!" Omega-Xis says, "Of course she has to. The entire world rests on our shoulders."

"Gee, thanks for making me feel even more pressure," I snap.

I notice a high place on the Wave Road, and find that Saggitarius and the three Sages are there.

"Looks like they're waiting," I say, "We should find the first Star Trial. Do we have to do them in order?"

"No," Omega-Xis says.

"Let's split up," Whitney suggests, "I'll go one way, and you'll go another. I'll find you when I find a Star Trial."

"Okay," I say, nodding.

-------------------------------------

It's a few minutes later when I find a yellow Navi-like being on the Wave Road.

"Um…hello?" I say, walking up to it, "Are you a Star Trial?"

"Yes, I am," the yellow Navi says, smiling, "Would you like to begin the first Star Trial?"

"Yeah," Omega-Xis says, "Bring it!"

Three large viruses appear.

One's a statue-looking one, a knight with a sword.

One's a little tiki-statue thing, with a huge ball of grass as hair and a spear.

The last one is a huge "drop" of water, with eyes that seem to stare past me.

"The sword one," Omega-Xis says, "That one's last. The water one is the one we focus on first."

I nod and say, "Sword, Widesword."

Two swords replace my hands, as I look at each virus carefully.

I charge, the swords pulsing with energy as I slice the water virus with my Widesword.

The water virus cries out in a voice that sounds like it's underwater.

I turn to the tiki-virus and say, "You're next."

I rush over to it and slice its grassy head off.

"Just like mowing the lawn," I say.

I then rush at the last virus and slice at it.

"Ah?" I gasp.

Nothing happened. A mere scratch is on the knight-virus, but that's it.

"Wait for it," Omega-Xis says.

The knight-virus changes from bland to bright, as it appears right in front of me with its sword ready.

"Uh-oh," I say.

"Now!" Omega-Xis says.

I slice the virus and listen to its cry as it's deleted.

"You've passed the first Star Trial!" the Navi says, "Take this Starlight."

A floating light swirls around me, slowly.

"So these are what the Starlights are," I say in awe.

"Yup," Omega-Xis says, "Let's get the others and meet up with the Sages."


	36. Chapter 34

It took a few minutes, but eventually we managed to get all the Starlights.

"Time to go to the Sages," Whitney says, "I hope you two know what you're doing."

"I don't," I say, "I just feel it."

"I know what we're doing," Omega-Xis says, "and that's what matters."

-------------------------

"Have you gathered the Starlights?" Pegasus asks when we arrive.

I nod and hold up the Starlights.

The Starlights disappear as Leo says, "Good. Now, the next trial shall begin. You must fight one of us."

I glance over at Saggitarius.

He seems to be looking around, his thoughts continuously changing.

"Do we decide who to fight?" I ask.

"Yes," Dragon says, "but choose wisely."

I think about the choice.

_Leo is fire, Dragon is wind, Pegasus is water…Drago seems to be a fire FM-ian, so Pegasus might be the best choice…_

"I'll fight Pegasus," I declare.

"Then let us begin," Pegasus says, moving a few feet in front of me.

"Widesword, Longsword," I say, the swords appearing on my hands in a flash of light.

I charge towards the blue Sage, my mind overrun by various doubts.

_What if I don't make it? What if I don't get the Star Force? What if…what if I fail everyone?_

I slice one of Pegasus' wings with the Widesword, and I feel a cold breeze whip my hair around.

I then aim for Pegasus' head with my Longsword, but miss to dodge icicles.

I jump to where I am behind Pegasus and run to the wing I hit earlier, preparing to hit it again with my Widesword.

-------------------------

Saggitarius watches with mild interest as he watches the girl fight Pegasus Magic, a strong AM-ian.

_She doesn't have the best strategy, but she seems to be holding her own._

The rooftop seems to grow colder as the battle progresses, Pegasus obviously letting out some of his power.

The girl with the guitar sits down and rubs her hands, a slight shiver escaping the fragile human body.

---------------------------

I soon find myself panting as I realize that, no matter what I did, nothing would work.

_Nothing that blatant…_

I notice a figure watching from the distance, and I try to ignore it.

_It can't be Drago…he's back in Garden Wake…_

I allow my swords to disappear as I say, "Of course. That's what I should be doing…"

I run as I prepare what could be my last hope to gain the Star Force, as I notice the figure's face is exactly what I didn't need.

Drago was back, and he didn't look too happy as he watched from Delilah's body.


End file.
